Point of Order: The 14-Year Temp Worker - IRD’s $21 Million Long-Term Consultant Spend Exposed

• The Taxpayers’ Union reports –

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal, through an Official Information Act response 12 contractors have been continuously engaged by IRD for more than five years, costing taxpayers a total of $20.8 million over just the past five years.

As Nicola Willis prepares to unveil Budget 2025, the Taxpayers’ Union is calling out the millions still being frittered away on long-term consultants, highlighting one Inland Revenue contractor who has been on the books for a staggering 13 years and 11 months.Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Someone racking up billable hours for nearly 14 years isn’t a contractor, they’re a shadow public servant, just with less oversight and more cost.

“While Kiwis are tightening their belts, bureaucrats are clinging to consultants like they’re essential infrastructure. If a role is truly necessary, hire for it properly or scrap it altogether.

“Despite a directive from Nicola Willis to reduce consultancy spending, the data reveals just how entrenched and expensive these arrangements have become. Inland Revenue spent $12.4 million on seven long-term contractors in one team alone with another $8.3 million spent elsewhere in the department.

“Cut the consultants. Cut the waste. Balance the books. With the Budget seven days away that’s what Kiwis expect.”

Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton. This article was sourced HERE