Commenting on the $1 million advertising campaign to raise awareness about low school attendance, Taxpayers' Union Campaigns Manager, Callum Purves, said:

“Declining attendance rates were receiving media coverage throughout 2022. Kiwis didn't need a $1 million advertising campaign to tell them that New Zealand has a truancy problem.

“Inflation has been high for some time and so is the cost of living. Every dollar the Government spends needs to be justified. Spending such a large amount on a campaign that was not even intended to improve attendance rates is simply unjustifiable.

“Earlier this year the Prime Minister announced funding for new truancy officers, but he might also want to have quiet word with the former Minister of Education, Chris Hipkins, about whether the $1 million wasted on this campaign could have helped start to tackle this problem a lot earlier."

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