Oranga Tamariki's near $2m bill for 'bloated' comms team
Documents show Oranga Tamariki pays nearly $2 million to its 14 communications staff - after cutting five staff and $500,000 in the past year - while other workers are banned from speaking to media without authorisation.
The revelations came from an Official Information Act (OIA) response to questions raised by the Taxpayers Union lobby group.
In it, the Ministry for Children confirmed that as of March 31, it employed two media advisers, two communications advisers, two senior media advisers, six senior communications advisers, a chief media adviser and a manager of organisational communications.
The total salary budget for the team was $1.97m.
"All staff in the roles listed above currently earn over $100,000 per year," the ministry said in its response.
A report from a select committee review shows this was down from 19 staff at a cost of $2.72m as of June 30 the previous year, though staff numbers and costs have fluctuated over the past five financial years. Cost figures have been rounded.
• 2019/20: 23 total staff, $2.47m
• 2020/21: 18 total staff, $2.03m
• 2021/22: 16 total staff, $2.00m
• 2022/23: 19 total staff, $2.55m
• 2023/24: 19 total staff, $2.72m
The OIA response also provided details about Oranga Tamariki's code of conduct relating to engagement with the media, which included a directive that no information was to be provided without explicit authorisation.
It cited privacy and confidential information as a reason, saying that given the nature of Oranga Tamariki's work, "we have access to confidential, sensitive and personal information. It is expected that all our people will show integrity and follow the law, our policies and systems regarding collecting, storing, accessing and sharing of Oranga Tamariki information".
"We do not speak, or provide information, to the media regarding any work-related activity, event or query, unless explicitly authorised," the code states.
"It is important that we continue to hold this duty of confidentiality of information even after we leave Oranga Tamariki."
Staff were encouraged to speak up about any serious wrongdoing they became aware of "using appropriate avenues", pointing to the protected disclosures whistleblowing regime as one option.
In a statement, the Taxpayers' Union said the ministry was "drowning in PR while kids fall through the cracks".
"A bloated comms team paid at least 30 percent more each than the median wage would be bad enough in a company, but in a government agency meant to protect vulnerable children, it's obscene."
RNZ has sought a response from Oranga Tamariki.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Luxon defends voting changes
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. The Prime Minister says the public still have plenty of time to get enrolled to vote despite scrapping same-day enrolment for elections. Last week the government announced legislation to overhaul electoral laws it said had become "unsustainable". The government agreed to close enrolment before advance voting begins, with people needing to enrol or update their details by midnight on the Sunday before advance voting starts on the Monday morning (in other words, 13 days before election day). The legislation sets a requirement of 12 days advance voting at each election, and the changes would mean special vote processing could get underway sooner. On Monday morning, Newsroom reported Attorney-General Judith Collins, had said the proposed law changes clashed with constitutional rights in a report. She indicated 100,000 or more people could be directly or indirectly disenfranchised by rules banning enrolment in the final 13 days before an election. Collins declined an interview with RNZ on the issue. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Collins had a statutory responsibility to review legislation to make sure it was consistent with the bill of rights. "As a government we think enrolment should happen before early voting starts," he said. Luxon pointed to Australia as an example of a country that does not allow enrolment on the same day as voting. "We want everyone to participate but it's just done two weeks before elections day. It's not uncommon, it gives people plenty of time to get enrolled and get sorted. "All we're saying is we want everybody to participate in our democracy... not an unreasonable request." On Election Day 2023 110,000 people enrolled to vote or updated their details.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Immigration Minister on overseas born NZers moving to Australia
immigration 13 minutes ago Last week, RNZ reported nearly half of the New Zealanders applying for Australian citizenship weren't born here. Minister of Immigration Erica Stanford spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Billboard camera footage used by transport agency to spot cars and trucks
NZTA Waka Kotahi has used privately-owned automated number plate recognition cameras to identity number plates. File photo. Photo: 123RF Footage from cameras in billboards at city intersections have been secretly used by the NZ Transport Agency for the first time to spot cars and trucks. NZTA Waka Kotahi's trial started in February, and is designed to combat fraud by illegal garages issuing warrants of fitness to cars, or passing trucks. Two sources close to the vehicle inspection industry say the move is surprising and questioned why the agency would do it, especially with using third-party technology systems. Police already tap into privately-owned automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to identity number plates hundreds of times a day. But this is the first known use of that power by another state agency. "The ANPR donor cameras in the trial are not being used 'to spy on mechanics issuing warrants', nor would they be capable of being used for that purpose," NZTA told RNZ. "These cameras are typically located in billboards at urban intersections. "The trial is simply looking at the potential for using images gathered by these cameras to be used as proof of the location of a particular vehicle at a point in time." An inspector who claimed they had checked a car in Auckland at a certain time could be exposed if the car was spotted at a Christchurch intersection at that time, it said. It "could be of benefit in supporting investigations into specific cases where fraudulent or illegal activity is suspected". A well-connected industry source told RNZ: "Yeah, that has been a bit secret." NZTA might not have wanted to tip people off, the source said. "For the purpose the agency is stating, I don't have much issue with that, but the way they have gone about it is what alarms me. Especially because it's third-party [cameras and ANPR system]. "What else might they use them for?" NZTA Waka Kotahi said it was not using the images in any actual fraud investigations, but only as a test for potential future use. The test is separate from how the agency is taking over many speed and red-light-runner cameras from police, and replacing some with higher-tech models, which it will own. A second source active in the industry was appalled by the move. "Oh my god," they said. "It is part of your right to know the audit process you go through. You can't sabotage your process because of a trial." Months of inquiries by RNZ in 2018 showed up mass deficiencies in NZTA's oversight of how truck certificates of fitness were being issued. The systems were reviewed and changed. There have been further reports of inspectors anonymously recounting examples of how they feel they have been subject to unfair targeting by the agency. "You have got layers and layers of issues here," said the second source. "What's the limit [of surveillance]?" They questioned why was the camera sting even needed when fraud would "show up in paperwork. There will be tons of other evidence that can be used against people". Many supermarkets, petrol stations, other businesses and councils have a total of thousands of cameras that link into ANPR software systems run by two Auckland companies - Auror and SaferCities. The new trial uses SaferCities vGrid system , NZTA said. Its system covered electronic billboard operators such as LUMO, which had built-in cameras with ANPR software, and CCTV operators including councils, individual businesses and car park operators, the agency said. Police accessed the vGrid system more than 400,000 times last year. "NZTA only has access to still images from ANPR donor cameras whose owners have specifically agreed to our usage," Waka Kotahi told RNZ in the OIA response. "Currently, this only includes LUMO and more recently, Hamilton City Council." RNZ approached LUMO for comment. As of 2022, the country had at least 1400 digital billboards and screen-posters, many of them with smart technology and ANPR cameras . The police tapped the ANPR systems 700,000 times last year. In October, two district court judges dismissed legal challenges to the police using them so much without a warrant, though it is expected there will be at least one appeal against that finding. The fraud camera trial comes at the same time Waka Kotahi is reviewing the WOF-COF system to reduce how often collectors of old vehicles, and motorhome users, have to get a warrant. The agency has been increasing a lot of the fees it charges motorists since 2023. Another batch of rises is due next January that are expected to push up total fees collected by $10m to $264m . Camera footage could be used where it was suspected that WoFs or CoFs had been issued to vehicles which had not been inspected at the time or place recorded by a vehicle inspector, the transport agency said. It gave a hypothetical scenario to RNZ: "If NZTA was investigating a vehicle inspector suspected of fraud, and if the inspector had issued a WoF to a vehicle which was recorded as having been inspected at a WoF garage in Auckland at 2pm on 1 July, 2025, and we were able to access a still image from a donor camera of the same vehicle driving past a billboard located in Christchurch at 3:30pm on 1 July, 2025, this could potentially be used as evidence to prove that the WoF had been issued fraudulently, because the vehicle was not in Auckland at the time of the recorded inspection." This would not be a part of regular compliance monitoring, it said. Regular compliance monitoring included scheduled reviews where compliance officers visited inspection sites, as well as 'mystery shopper' activity. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
