Party accused Mahuta of unfairly awarding contracts to relatives. On 21 June 2022, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern defended Mahuta, claiming that she had abided by Cabinet policies and protocol. In response to a parliamentary question submitted by National MP Simeon Brown, Environment Minister David Parker confirmed that the Ministry of Environment was investigating the process through which William Ormsby, his nephew Tamoko Ormsby and wife Waimirirangi Ormsby were appointed to a five-member advisory working group researching the application of indigenous Māori knowledge to waste management practices. The Ministry claimed that the Ormsbys had been selected for their role because of their expertise and that cabinet ministers were not involved in the selection process. The Ministry also emphasised that the Mahuta family connection had been disclosed from the beginning and that it had sought external advice on the appointments. On 21 September 2022, the Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes launched an investigation into four contracts that Ormsby's Ka Awatea Services had made with four government departments: Kāinga Ora, the Ministry for the Environment, the Department of Conservation and Te Puni Kōkiri (the Ministry for Māori Development). Hughes had commenced the investigation at the request of both National MP Simeon Brown and Mahuta herself. Mahuta emphasised that she had declared any potential conflicts of interest, abided by the Cabinet manual and supported the Public Service Commissioner's investigation. On 13 November 2022, the Public Service Commission released its report into Ka Wa Atea's government contracts. The report found that Te Puni Kōkiri, the Environment Ministry, and Kāinga Ora failed to manage conflicts of interests by following their own policies and processes while the Department of Conservation had poor contract management practices. However, the Commission's report concluded that it found "no evidence of favouritism, bias, or undue influence over agency decisions" in relation to Ka Awatea Services. In response, Mahuta welcomed the report as a vindication of her assertion that she had no role in approving these contracts. In addition, National MP Brown stated that the Commission's report exposed a "culture of carelessness" in how the public service procured services and managed conflicts of interest. Views and positions Abortion In 2020, Nanaia Mahuta exercised her conscience vote in opposing the Abortion Legislation Act 2020, which decriminalised abortion in New Zealand. In June 2022, Mahuta published a Twitter post condemning the United States Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had accorded a