What a surprise

Stuff reports:

Large government departments have reported increased spending on consultants and contractors, a year after the government promised to reduce it.

State Services Minister Chris Hipkins promised in mid-2018 the government would “reduce the reliance on expensive consultants and contractors, saving taxpayers many millions of dollars a year”.

At that time, the total spend reported by 22 departments was about $550m.

Now, annual reviews at 13 of the 16  largest departments and agencies show spending on contractors and consultants increased a total 14 percent in a single year to $720m.

The year of delivery keeps on delivering.