Is this the best use of taxpayers’ money?
If we do this will I be able to look any and every taxpayer in the eye and say I haven’t wasted a single cent of the tax you pay?
Just think how much better the country and the economy would be if every public servant asked these two questions about everything they plan and do and only did it if the answer was yes.
They certainly wouldn’t be doing this :
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal, through a Official Information Act request, that the Department of Internal Affairs has redirected $67,000 of public money from its core functions to sponsor the 2025 Te Matatini kapa haka festival — all without sign-off from Minister Brooke van Velden.
DIA described the deal as a way to “enhance visibility” and demonstrate its commitment to Māori–Crown relations, while securing access to corporate hospitality. Despite never supporting any comparable community or cultural event in this way before, DIA agreed to this sponsorship at the deputy chief executive level with no Ministerial approval.
Why does the DIA need to enhance visibility? If it’s doing its job properly it shouldn’t need to sponsor a festival to demonstrate its commitment to Māori–Crown relations. And why does it need access to corporate hospitality?
Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Co-ordinator Rhys Hurley said:
“These funds were meant for delivering public services — not topping up a festival the Government already funds. Public servants have raided their own operational budgets to play sponsor and score perks.”
“Who’s really getting a new passport while supporters are cheering their home kapa haka teams? What’s next — picking up your marriage certificate at the rugby?”
“The link between offering services and this festival is a joke. This is bureaucrats dipping into service budgets for a trip they don’t need and can’t justify.”
“The rationale in the Official Information Act response and the internal memo to the chief executive don’t match up. One claims the sponsorship is about community ‘connection and service delivery’, while the other talks about ‘branding, logo placement, and access to the corporate lounge.”
“If bureaucrats want to play patron of the arts, they should do it with their own money — not yours.”
If these bureaucrats had asked the two questions I started with, they would not have been sponsoring the festival.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
8 comments:
Hon Brooke van Velden should immediately cancel the payment for the festival if it is not to late . It is more to show the bureaucracy who is boss.
Most public servants below the level of director most likely do ask themselves the same questions, being taxpayers themselves.
Unfortunately, it is the very senior public servants who are at the whim of political interference and bias who also control the funds.
Why should they care about best use of money when their own job and bloated salary is on the line ?
Again it's very unbalanced- are Maori putting their hands in their own pockets to enhance Maori- Crown relations ?
Should but politically negative for ACT. Instead - insist the same money be billed to another for-Maori only budget. They can choose the priority: real help or song/dance.
Having the tax payers on big time.
Who ever authorised this should be fired immediately, and the money returned to the DÍA budget. This insanity needs to stop and people need to be held accountable for their actions.
True - if there is no reaction and correction to such incidents, then the ethno -state is already operating. Many people feel this is the case - and that CRT has won the day.
Another example is the Select Committee (Justice) of 23 May where TPM did not front...... but will hold their own SC meeting in early May.
The challenges are bold and numerous and " in the face of authority". The lawless state is not far away.
Never.
This is outrageous and these pubic servants seem to be a law unto themselves. Also take a look at this current DIA add for a job vacancy: https://www.seek.co.nz/job/83741655?token=1%7E12737960-1cec-421f-b369-9de32060985c&tracking=PAC-JobRecs-anz-2-jobrecs-sab-b Not only is it branded with "Aotearoa", but throughout English is preceded by Te Reo. Didn't they get the Ministerial memo on such and, honestly, how many in the population would recognise "Te Tari Taiwhenua?" Some heads definitely need to roll.
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