A landmark report from a cross-party Committee says New Zealanders deserve much clearer information about what the government is doing with their money.
The Problem
The committee noted that government departments produce mountains of reports and documents, and that most of this information fails to answer the basic questions that Parliament and ordinary New Zealanders actually want answered.
Goals are vague and scattered. Departments work in silos. Reports are dense and hard to read. It’s almost impossible to tell whether money is being spent wisely or whether anything is actually improving.
New Zealand’s financial reporting — tracking where money goes — is actually high quality. The committee wants to keep that and add performance reporting alongside it, so we know not just where the money went, but what it achieved.
Recommendations
The committee recommends three major shifts to the way government reports to the public:
1. Whole-of-government reporting. At the start of each parliamentary term, every government would have to clearly state its top priorities — and then publish a plan showing how it intends to achieve them and roughly what they’ll cost. It would then have to report regularly on whether it’s making progress. Think of it like a public promise with a built-in check-up system.
2. Reporting on things people actually care about. The committee wants to establish a set of long-term goals in areas important to New Zealanders — things like health, education, housing, and the environment. These goals would stay in place regardless of which party is in power. Each government would then have to say how its spending relates to these goals and report on progress at least every three years.
3. Simpler, more honest reporting from public entities. Government departments and agencies would replace several old reporting documents with one clear four-year plan. Instead of focusing on activities, they’d have to report on whether their work is actually delivering value for money and improving outcomes for New Zealanders.
A rare sign of hope: cross-party agreement.
This report was signed off by MPs from National, Labour, the Greens, ACT, Te Pāti Māori, and New Zealand First. In today’s political climate, that kind of agreement across all parties is unusual — and it matters. It means the push for reform isn’t just one party’s agenda; it reflects a shared view that the current system isn’t good enough, and that something needs to change.
What will happen next?
The government is legally required to respond to the committee’s recommendations within 60 working days — by 18 August 2026. At that point, it must say whether it accepts, rejects, or wants to modify the proposals. If it does it would need to change the Public Finance Act 1989 and the Crown Entities Act 2004. The committee recommended a phased rollout.
Why this matters
If the recommendations from this report are agreed to and implemented then New Zealanders should be able to hold their elected representatives to account. We should end up with clearer goals, better progress reports, and a much easier way for us to ask if the government has delivered what it promised.
We’ll be watching the government’s response closely. We encourage you to do the same.
The report is available at https://selectcommittees.parliament.nz/v/6/d6c74527-9567-4d64-1819-08deb7843b48?lang=en
