REVEALED UPDATE: NIWA Forced To Admit $450,000 Video Game By Ombudsman

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through an updated Official Information Act request, following Ombudsman involvement, that NIWA has been forced to disclose it paid $150,000 to external contractor Hum Interactive, on top of $300,000 in research costs, for the development of its “Future Coasts Aotearoa” video game.

The contractor was also not subject to a competitive tender process, with NIWA instead relying on the supplier’s previous “outstanding results” to justify the engagement.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“NIWA had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the Ombudsman before it would reveal how much taxpayer money was really spent on a video game.”

“Agencies should not be hiding six figure payments behind vague claims of commercial sensitivity, then quietly admitting the contract was not even tendered and instead awarded based on ‘previous outstanding results’.”

“When public money is involved, agencies should be testing the market to ensure value for taxpayers’ money, not handing out contracts behind closed doors and then hiding the cost.”

“This case shows exactly why the Ombudsman exists, and the new Earth Sciences agency needs to do better than its predecessor. Without that oversight, taxpayers would still be in the dark about how their money was spent.”