The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Public Service Commissioner to immediately direct all Government departments to put an end to extravagant parties for their staff. This comes after today’s revelations that the Department of Internal affairs spent $17,000 on a welcome party for the new Deputy Chief Executive.

Taxpayers’ Union Deputy Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy said:

“This shows that there is a culture of waste plaguing the Wellington bureaucracy. Far from being an isolated incident, the earlier $40,000 leaving party for the Ministry for Pacific Peoples was just the tip of the iceberg and a pattern of behaviour from bureaucrats who have no respect for taxpayer money is showing.

“At the Taxpayers’ Union, when a new staff member arrives we do home baking which is not only more cost-effective, but is also more meaningful and as it comes from the heart and is great for team spirits.

“Spending more than $5,000 on a livestream of the event is simply ridiculous. You would expect a live-stream of a funeral but live-streaming a welcome party is a new level of extravagance. The only thing to mourn here is the complete waste of taxpayer money yet ordinary taxpayers didn’t even get the opportunity to watch it.

“It is time for the Wellington bureaucracy to face up to the reality that they are spending too much while families continue to struggle with the cost of living. Extravagant parties provide absolutely no value to the taxpayer and so they must be ended.”

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