November 2020: In November 2019, the University of Auckland purchased a house in Parnell for about $5 million. The University said the house would be used for accommodation, business-related operations, and functions. We have looked at how the University managed the purchase of the Parnell house from a sensitive expenditure perspective.
October 2020: Sensitive expenditure is any spending by an organisation that could be seen to be giving private benefit to a staff member, their family, or friends. It risks harming an organisation’s reputation and the public sector more generally. This guide provides practical guidance on specific types of sensitive expenditure and outlines the principles for making decisions about sensitive expenditure.
December 2019: Concerns were raised with us about certain procurement practices carried out by Alpine Energy, including a decision to install solar energy equipment on an employee’s house as part of a solar energy trial. We were interested in this decision because it raised questions about sensitive expenditure. Sensitive expenditure is a particular risk in the public sector – if it is not recognised and properly managed, public trust and confidence can quickly be eroded, regardless of the amount of money spent.
January 2019: Audit New Zealand (a business unit of the Controller and Auditor-General) was asked by the chairman of Waikato Institute of Technology to carry out additional assurance work in conjunction with the 2017 annual audit. This report sets out Audit New Zealand's findings about certain travel expenses and redundancy and severance payments.
December 2010: This is the report of the second part of the Auditor-General's inquiry into certain types of expenditure in Vote Ministerial Services. Overall, we have concluded that the current system for providing support to Ministers has flaws at each of the levels we examined. The system functions but, cumulatively, the problems are significant...
October 2010: Overall, almost all of the payments were made under contractual arrangements and in accordance with the Auckland transitional legislation...
24 June 2010
March 2010: First part of the Auditor-General's inquiry into certain types of expenditure in Vote Ministerial Services – the audit of expenditure incurred by Mr Phil Heatley’s ministerial office…
December 2005: This audit and inquiry followed a request for assurance from the then Associate Minister of Education (Tertiary Education). There were concerns about possible conflicts of interest in transactions worth large sums of money. Other issues emerged as we began our inquiry...
October 2005: The findings of this inquiry highlight the need for schools to carefully consider the ethical dimensions of conflicts of interest...
Central government: Results of the 2003-04 audits.
December 2004: We looked at the establishment of the Visiting Investor Programme, the policies and procedures governing it, how it has operated, and its evaluation. We also examined the expenditure incurred, and considered whether or not it was appropriate...
December 2003: The matter of Dr Armstrong's expenses was the subject of a complaint to us by Hon Murray McCully MP following parliamentary and media comment. These events prompted us to instigate a detailed review in order to address more fully the issues raised...
November 2003: In January 2003, Hon Richard Prebble MP, leader of the ACT New Zealand parliamentary party, asked the Auditor-General to inquire into certain allegations of financial impropriety involving one of his party’s list members, Donna Awatere Huata MP...
December 2002: After its 2000-01 financial review of New Zealand Post, the Finance and Expenditure Committee recommended that we provide assurance that Transend has made improvements to its policies and procedures, following allegations about its operations...
October 1999: This report sets out the results of our inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the chartering of aircraft by the Department of Work and Income to enable its service centre managers to attend a course at Wairakei Resort on 3 and 4 June 1999...
April 1997.
May 1995.
March 1994.
Inquiry into the University of Auckland’s decision to purchase a house in Parnell
