According to information obtained under the Official Information Act, The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that the Local Government Commission – the body responsible for overseeing the structure of New Zealand's councils – has spent $99,000 on a new logo and website rebrand despite the Government having recently told agencies to cut back on wasteful spending.

Taxpayers’ Union Researcher, Alex Murphy, said:

“The Local Government Commission (LGC) has almost no interaction with members of the public. The only sort of promotion it is tasked with is when it runs consultations on local government reorganisation proposals. The fact they’d waste a hundred grand on a rebrand stinks of self importance.

“Ironically, when public departments were in the firing line last year for breaking away from standardised government branding, the LGC was actually one of the few departments sticking with the basic format. But it seems they just couldn’t help themselves.

“This spruced up website doesn't improve the life of a single taxpayer. In fact, it only makes government messaging less consistent and identifiable for those who rely on it. CEO, Penny Langley, needs to front up and explain this wasteful spend.”

© Scoop Media