An independent review of the State Services Commission's role in the Novopay debacle says its reporting to government ministers on the project was clear, consistent and timely.
The review says the commission met its responsibilities with Novopay and its monitoring was considerably in excess of most other projects, though it recommends improvements to the commission's monitoring of major projects.
The review contradicts parts of the recently published ministerial inquiry into Novopay.
The ministerial inquiry said the State Services commission lost its detachment from the project, but the commission's review says there was no loss of objectivity.
However, the commission says it has since come to the view that in an effort to assist, it lost the distance and independence needed for effective monitoring.
