Coster's garden leave racks up $15k while the Public Service Commissioner slow-walks sacking

The time taken to deliver Andrew Coster's dismissal letter, has cost taxpayers $15,000 (and counting) according to a new real-time cost calculator launched by the Taxpayers' Union at https://costlycoster.nz/.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Jordan Williams said:

"We all know the public service takes its time, but given the context, Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche should not be waiting around. There can be no golden handshake - nor a slow walked process that sees Andrew Coster get paid out while on garden leave."

"The disgraced former Police Commissioner is taking home $1,500 a day as he sits waiting for the inevitable sacking as head of the Social Investment Agency. Most taxpayers would consider that a disgrace."

"Sir Brian Roche should have cut off Coster within hours of receiving the IPCA report. Instead, Sir Brian waited 10 days - until the report became public - to suspend Coster. Now Coster is on the pig's back as the process is slow walked. It brings the whole public service into disrepute."

"This case demonstrates everything wrong in the public sector – where CEOs are paid the big bucks - including as they exit."

"Sir Brian's job is to uphold standards across the public service – he needs to hurry up and do it!”