REVEALED: Oranga Tamariki Spin Department Hid $765,000 in $2.74 Million Comms Team

Only thanks to an anonymous tipper, the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through an Official Information Act request that Oranga Tamariki failed to disclose six additional comms staff at a cost of nearly $765,000.

We had previously revealed through the original OIA response, Oranga Tamariki’s supposed 14-man comms team at a cost of $1.97m. These newly found additional roles bring the total yearly salary bill to $2.74 million.

The six additional staff include:
-Manager, Content and Channels
-Advisor, Design
-Senior Advisor, Design
-Senior Web Advisor
-Senior Events and Engagement Advisor
-Social Media & Web Advisor
-Senior Video Content Producer

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Oranga Tamariki’s spin doctors might’ve fallen for their own spin, but this is more than just bad accounting. Oranga Tamariki told us their comms staff cost $1.97 million, but failed to mention a secret second team costing another three-quarters of a million.”

“These staff all report to the same Director of Communications and Media, with their roles covering social media, video production and event promotion. That’s comms work no matter what way you look at it."

”Apparently the Public Service Act doesn’t count these roles as comms-related because they’re “technical enablers”, so Oranga Tamariki didn’t tell us. If that’s the case, and official figures don’t count whole teams, does anyone actually know how many government spin doctors there are?”

“If you’re creating content, managing comms channels, or handling social media you’re working in PR. And if you’re doing it with taxpayers’ money the public has a right to know.”

“If even the OIA can’t get the full truth out of the Wellington Blob, who’s really running the show?”