Pay Per View taxpayer funding of pay TV
Taxpayers forking out $683k per year for bureaucrats to watch SKY Central and local government agencies are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayers' money every year on subscription TV services. The data for the last financial year shows some agencies such as KiwiRail and Auckland Council spending close to $50,000 each on TV subscriptions. The total for the agencies surveyed equals $682,525. The numbers we’ve uncovered show that bureaucrats either don’t have enough work to do, or are wasting money on Sky TV for luxurious staff rooms. Either way this represents a significant waste of taxpayers’ money. When our researchers were collecting the information, the Chief Executive of Otorohanga District Council wrote to us saying that he could not imagine local authorities spending money on a TV subscriptions. If only that were true. Our research shows that councils spent over $200,000 of ratepayers’ money on Sky TV alone. Politicians in Wellington also seem to be to enjoy having the taxpayer pick up the tab for their Sky TV bills. Parliamentary and Ministerial Services spent over $56,000 last year to ensure MPs received the service, including Sky Sport. Why every Beehive office needs taxpayer funded sport channels is far from clear. The New Zealand Transport Agency has set the example. It wasted $20,000 in the 2014/15 financial year on Sky TV but cancelled all its subscriptions last year. We say other departments should follow its lead. While for some agencies SKY TV is justified — entertaining patients in hospitals for example — we have to question why back-room office workers like NZTA, KiwiRail and the Reserve Bank are spending so much of taxpayers’ money on TV shows.
Prepared by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union (September 2015)
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Central Government Agencies Government Agency University of Otago KiwiRail Parliamentary Service Lincoln University Department of Internal Affairs New Zealand Transport Agency Government Communications Security Bureau Ministry for Primary Industries Radio New Zealand University of Waitako New Zealand Customs Service Reserve Bank of New Zealand Broadcasting Standards Authority* New Zealand Fire Service Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Department of Corrections Ministry of Health CERA New Zealand Blood Service Ministry of Social Development Aviation Security Service (Avsec) Te Puni Kokiri Otago Polytechnic Real Estate Agents Authority ACC New Zealand Security Intelligence Service New Zealand Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation Land Information New Zealand Waiariki Institute of Technology NZ Post Solid Energy Housing New Zealand Ministry of Defence^ Lotto NZ
Total spent Number of decoders $60,545.52 Unknown $49,447.82 23 $32,268.00 31 $27,450.00 8 $26,328.00 45 $19,840.18 9 $18,181.56 10 $18,040.29 8 $15,462.00 5 $14,351.14 3 $12,330.61 12 $12,150.11 4 $9,909.49 0 $8,881.00 6 $8,656.65 3 $6,552.60 Unknown $4,840.92 2 $4,582.50 2 $3,911.76 3 $3,704.00 2 $3,665.15 2 $3,621.50 2 $2,496.50 1 $2,493.48 1 $2,432.70 2 $2,427.00 1
Total
$2,181.86
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$2,150.00 $2,097.86 $1,199.40 $1,193.15 $1,111.00 $740.06 $534.31
1 1 1 1 1 0 1
$385,778.12
>192
*The BSA reimburse staff and board members for their personal subscriptions. ^ Ministry of Defense paid the sum to NZDF as a contribution to costs incurred by NZDF in providing Sky TV. Prepared by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union (September 2015)
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District Health Boards DHB Total spent Number of decoders Capital and Coast District Health Board $11,880.00 20 Northland District Health Board $4,635.17 5 Hawke's Bay District Health Board $7,608.31 5 Canterbury and West Coast District Health Boards $39,706.00 20 Hutt Valley District Health Board $3,273.53 2 Counties Manukau District Heal Board $10,056.90 5 South Canterbury District Health Board $1,856.40 2 Waikato District Health Board $8,438.36 3
Total
$87,454.67
62
Local Government Agencies Council Auckland Council Christchurch City Council Hamilton City Council Napier City Council Palmerston North City Council Dunedin City Council Tauranga City Council Wellington City Council New Plymouth District Council Greater Wellington Regional Council Taupo District Council Invercargill City Council Whakatane District Council Tasman District Council Waikato District Council Upper Hutt City Council Wairoa District Council
Total
Total spent
Number of decoders
$48,080.00 $36,086.74 $32,806.83 $29,664.31 $14,207.00 $8,316.34 $6,981.21 $6,504.84 $5,867.88 $4,764.25 $4,117.59 $3,106.39 $2,467.86 $1,960.30 $1,826.88 $1,808.52 $725.60
51 16 >7 10 4 3 3 4 2 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 2
$209,292.54
>113
Grand total: $682,525.33
Prepared by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union (September 2015)
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