DIA Binges On Furniture – Tinetti Must Intervene

Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti must make an example of her Department's $1.36 million spending blowout on furniture, says the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union.

In today's Governance and Administration Committee meeting, National MP Melissa Lee grilled the DIA over its decision to spent $1.36 million on furniture over the 2020/21 period.

Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke says, "How can the DIA possibly justify spending $1.36 million on furniture in a single year? That's $700 for every staff member. Are we expected to believe that every chair, desk, and beanbag in the department crapped out at once?"

"This kind of over-the-top spending only sends the message that DIA is overfunded and need to be kept on a tighter fiscal leash. We need to see a sharp rebuke from Minister Jan Tinetti."

"Government agencies should currently have a heightened awareness of tight household budgets caused by rising living costs. When taxpayers are forced to make sacrifices, we expect to see similar prudence at the agencies we fund."

Meanwhile the DIA's new departmental agency, the Ministry of Ethnic Communities, granted Orb 360 Foundation Trust $60,000 for business training among ethnic communities – which saw $40,000 spent on a single guest speaker.

"What sort of guest speaker costs that much? Did they pipe in Oprah? Something isn't right here. It's a terrible start for a new agency that was of questionable value to begin with."

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