The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling for urgent accountability at Oranga Tamariki following the release of a scathing Auditor-General’s report exposing systemic failures in procurement and contract management.

Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman Tory Relf said:

"The Auditor-General has confirmed that Oranga Tamariki is spending over half a billion dollars a year without a clear strategy, without proper oversight, and without knowing whether it’s delivering results for vulnerable children."

"Despite years of warnings, the agency has refused to fix fundamental weaknesses in how it contracts with service providers. When you’re handing out taxpayer money to hundreds of providers, that’s not just careless but a failure of duty."

"OT is meant to be protecting at-risk children. But if it can't even manage its own contracts, how can the public trust it to deliver life-changing support to those most at risk?"

"This is exactly the sort of public sector complacency that drives poor outcomes and bloated budgets. With Budget 2025 less then a week away, Ministers need to be asking tough questions. Where is the return on investment? Who is being held to account for this failure? And why has nothing changed after years of red flags?"

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