Ministry of Defence takes the blame for a $148 milllion frigate upgrade budget blowout
(WorldNews New Zealand)

The Ministry of Defence has taken full responsibility for a $148 million budget blowout for an upgrade of the Anzac frigates. Defence Minister Ron Mark revealed the major defence project had overrun costs by 30 per cent in Question Time on Wednesday, which has led to Cabinet having to agree to a revised contract with Lockheed Martin Canada - the supplier of the upgrade. Mark told Parliament the project had blown out to $639m after being budgeted at $491m in 2014 under the former Government and then-Minister Gerry Brownlee. But at a foreign affairs select committee...