It's an F for MFAT: Kiwis Fund Diplomats' Private School Fees

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is sounding the alarm over a recent OIA response, revealing that of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (MFAT) $5 million annual spend on private schooling for diplomats' children, more than $2.25 million is being channelled into countries whose state education systems are either on par with or even surpass that of New Zealand.

Taxpayers' Union spokesman Oliver Bryan said, "In an era where countless Kiwi households wrestle with mounting living costs and the shortcomings of our own education system, it's downright scandalous for the taxpayers to bankroll the premium education of diplomats' children abroad. Considering the handsome packages diplomats already receive, why aren't they covering their own children's schooling expenses?"

"If these funds were catering to diplomats in regions with significantly worse education systems or in war zones, it'd be a different discussion entirely - and in some cases understandable, but this isn't the case. We are paying millions for children to attend private schools in countries where the state system is better than ours."

"It's simply indefensible for 63 of our 260 diplomats to enjoy taxpayer-funded private school perks, especially when our own education system faces so many challenges", said Bryan. "Our teachers, nurses and police officers don't enjoy such taxpayer-subsidized perks for their children. This stark inequality is unjust and must end. New Zealanders shouldn't be on the hook for the private schooling costs of a select few."