$500k just to create a 30 second ad

The Taxpayers’ Union released:

Health New Zealand spent $490,043.75 on a single advert featuring former Lotto presenter Russell Harrison, documents obtained by the Taxpayers’ Union reveal for the first time.

Harrison, who remained suspended from the Ministry of Justice on full pay for years, was paid $3,000 to appear in the 30-second advertisement.

Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman Tyler Groenewald said:

“The $3,000 payment to Russell Harrison might grab the headlines, but the real scandal is that taxpayers were charged nearly half a million dollars for a 30-second ad.”

“This was not a nationwide rebrand or a major emergency public information drive. It was one advertisement costing $490,043.75.”

The Ministry of Justice spent $500k of our money to make a 30 second advertisement. That is not the cost of showing the ad. That is the cost to make it. The average cost to make a TV ad is around $40k to $50k. The Ministry of Justice spent 10 times that.