REVEALED: $4.3 Million Keep It Real Campaign Logs Off

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal reveal through an Official Information request that the Department of Internal Affairs' Keep It Real Online campaign has cost taxpayers more than $4.3 million (excl. GST) since 2020. Despite the spending, there's little evidence of any measurable real-world impact.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“This is a classic bureaucrat fire-and-forget; spend millions on a slick campaign, then walk away without measuring whether it actually achieved anything.”

“People might remember the ads, but what they don’t know is what the Government spent making them and that they didn’t bother measuring the long-term impact.”

“We’re told the ads reached ‘two-thirds of parents’, but so could Lotto ads. Reach means nothing without results.”

“Government campaigns need clearly defined, auditable targets and measurable outcomes before launch not vague vibes and video views. If ACC can spend millions on a ‘Have a Hmmm’ campaign without showing it changed anything, it’s clear the whole public campaigns system needs a reset."

"When departments can’t show results, Ministers need to pull their funding and heads need to roll.”