Head of the public service speaks out on NZTA ads

Peter Hughes said political neutrality was central to NZ’s system of government. (Image: NZME)

Tue, 20 Sep 2022

The government’s top official said ads the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) ran during the current election period are “inconsistent” with its requirements to be politically neutral. Waka Kotahi NZTA ran ads, boosting Facebook posts that featured Labour and Green party politicians as recently as Sept 2, telling BusinessDesk this was due to an “oversight”. The NZ Taxpayers’ Union initially raised concerns with the Public Service Commission in April, nearly three months before the local election period...

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