Exemption for Mfat on budget cuts 'isn't acceptable' – Taxpayers' Union

Christopher Luxon (left, with Winston Peters and Judith Collins) says he's 'very comfortable' with savings the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has delivered. (Image: BusinessDesk)

Dileepa Fonseka

Tue, 28 May 2024

The Taxpayers’ Union says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade should not be exempt from a government-wide cost-cutting drive until it fixes issues around how costs were managed on a $33 million cloud-computing project initially budgeted at $13.84m.But prime minister Christopher Luxon has said he is "very comfortable" with the level of savings the ministry (Mfat) has been able to deliver, even though these have not met public service cost-saving targets of 6.5% of baseline expenditure.'Slush fund'BusinessDesk report...

Unlock all stories free for 10 days

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

We won’t charge for 10 days. You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call. Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].interval) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

You will be charged in 10 days unless you cancel beforehand.
We will remind you three times before charging you.
All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}