Wallowing in extravagance

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, October 23rd, 2015 - 16 comments
Categories: accountability, national, Parliament, parliamentary spending, Steven Joyce - Tags: , , ,

Gosh, how predictable was this:

Super-ministry’s $800,000 bill for media monitoring slammed

An $800,000 bill for media monitoring at the Government’s business super-ministry has put its spending in the spotlight again, with Labour accusing it of “wallowing in extravagance”.
…
The big bill is just the latest embarrassment for MBIE in a series of financial misfires this year.

In June, the ministry was the subject of ridicule in Parliament, after it emerged it had spent more than $67,000 on a new sign in front of its Stout St headquarters in Wellington, $140,000 on a 3.5m curved screen in its reception, $74,000 on a reception desk and $70,000 on a sculpture. It had also installed hair straighteners in the women’s bathrooms, although later reports suggested they had been removed. A $560,000 bill in September for an MBIE website overhaul also caused an outcry, with the Taxpayers’ Union saying it was “an extraordinary amount to spend on a website, and it’s not even that good”.

Labour state services spokesman Kris Faafoi said MBIE had “become a bloated caricature of itself, wallowing in extravagance and having a whale of a time at the expense of taxpayers”. …

I don’t think I have anything to add to Faafoi’s summary. This is a government that is thoroughly comfortable spending up large with taxpayer’s money – on itself.

In related news, the media is having a great time with data on MPs (and ex MPs) spending.
Gerry Brownlee spent $2100 a day on 5-star hotel room
Todd Barclay tops the latest list of backbench MPs spending
Ministerial credit cards: Who are the big spenders?
Revealed: Former MPs who travelled on the taxpayer

16 comments on “Wallowing in extravagance ”

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  1. dukeofurl 1
    23 October 2015 at 10:48 am

    Its strange that Todd Barclay tops the list, even though hes from a larger electorate. Someone like Kelvin Davis , like the top third of labour MPS has important duties beyond his electorate so travels all over the country.

    WE dont get where and when Mps travel, but is Todd Barclay travelling all over the country too- more specifically to Auckland where he once worked ?

  2. Ad 2
    23 October 2015 at 10:58 am

    Apart from its statutory functions like Immigration, and admin stuff like Tourism, I cannot for the life of me figure out what MBIE actually delivers.

    Bring back the old Ministry of Economic Development, which actually worked with the regions to make good and interesting business happen in regions that needed it.

    • ilicit 2.1
      23 October 2015 at 3:23 pm

      I have a friend who works for MBIE, no longer does he not understand the title, he no longer understands it’s purpose.

      Before National, he felt he had a job to do !!!

  3. Atiawa 3
    23 October 2015 at 11:04 am

    Swings & roundabouts.

    What Gerry & MBIE spend will be off-set by Judith saving the taxpayer thousands driving her dealership sponsored Peugeot.

    • Arthur 3.1
      23 October 2015 at 11:31 am

      Which will be off-set by he flag referendum.

    • savenz 3.2
      23 October 2015 at 11:40 am

      How about the PM appears with a Sky City, Roading transport, Big business T shirt with all his sponsor logos on it every time he appears in public.

      At least it is transparent!

      Sarc.

      Liddle NZ leading the way in the privatisation of government…. one morally corrupt politician at a time.

    • dukeofurl 3.3
      23 October 2015 at 12:00 pm

      No there isnt any savings. They get an allowance to cover electorate expenses including vehicle. If she doesnt spend it on petrol shes free to spend it or not
      So she gets to keep it.

  4. Colonial Viper 4
    23 October 2015 at 12:24 pm

    Meaningless small target criticism of the Government. At a guess, the Labour caucus costs the tax payer $800K every 4 weeks or so. Are we getting our monies worth.

    • AmaKiwi 4.1
      23 October 2015 at 8:49 pm

      CV – agreed.

      The essentials for every human being to survive are air, water, food, shelter, health.

      A government which denies its citizens these essentials is corrupt.

      Yes, I say “denies” because these necessities are available in abundance in New Zealand. But the rich have brainwashed us with their immoral excuses for why it is “normal” for some of us to be denied access to these necessities.

      What the rich worship as their “free market capitalist economic system” is nothing more than a creed of greed. They say it is blasphemy to protest or try to create a less corrupt society.

      The same was said about slavery.

  5. mary_a 5
    23 October 2015 at 12:24 pm

    **Gerry Brownlee spent $2100 a day on 5-star hotel room**

    Let’s get real here. He probably needed the extra space to move about!

  6. Smilin 6
    23 October 2015 at 2:58 pm

    MBIE or is it NIMBY by the way they can spend and not be accountable without further expense to the nation’s taxpayers

  7. RedBaronCV 7
    23 October 2015 at 8:14 pm

    Well the Mobie staff clearly feel they are not being given the lead they want as they are going on strike.
    And the word around town is that the hair straighteners where left on and fried themselves useless and nobody any where near the place is allowed to utter the second word of “Mobie dick”

  8. AmaKiwi 8
    23 October 2015 at 9:01 pm

    It irrelevant whether or not they have followed the rules. THEY make their own rules.

    The question is, “Should parliamentarians be sovereign over everyone else? Or should the people have the ultimate say?”

    If what parliamentarians are doing is excessive/unethical, the majority of the people should have the power to stop them. If we had such powers, they’d smarten up in a hurry.

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