Review into Public Service Commission ads to cost more than the ads themselves

Author: Azaria Howell ,
Publish Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2026, 5:07am

A review into the Public Service Commission’s social media ads relating to public sector negotiations will cost significantly more than the money put into making the ads.

Labour raised concerns about the ad campaign, which ran before a mass union strike in October last year, questioning whether it was appropriate for a Government department.

At the time, MP Camilla Belich said “I don’t think any amount of public funds should be spent in a political attack on organisations that are undertaking good faith bargaining” and added she was “shocked” to see the ads.

The ads warned strike action could cause disruption, and gave information about pay increases for certain sectors.

The Commission engaged an external party to review the developing and posting of the messages, and paying to boost them.

Documents uploaded by the Commission as part of a proactively-released Official Information Act response appear to show legal analyst Jane Meares was on a $2500 daily fee rate for eight hours worked.

A statement of work variation document labelled the total cumulative maximum charges at $37,500. It stated the total maximum charges in the original contract were $12,500 or five days at the total daily fee rate, and said additional maximum charges were $25,000.

In a statement, the Public Service Commission said the review was ongoing.

“There isn’t a set date for its completion, but we expect it’s not far away. Once the review is completed, information about total costs will be available.”

Meares said she had no statement on the review, but confirmed the contracted daily rate as per the OIA release.

Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche last year said the ads cost $426.32 in total.

Responding to the new documents, Public Service Association union spokeswoman Fleur Fitzsimons called it a “waste of public money that could have been avoided if the Public Service Commission had simply admitted it got it wrong and apologised”.

Fitzsimons feared the figure could blow out further, and said it was “wrong” to “spend public money to advertise against striking workers”.

The terms of reference for the review put March 31, 2026 as an indicative reporting date, and said the reviewer would provide a final written report to the Commissioner to be shared with the Auditor-General.

Speaking to a Parliamentary select committee last year, the Commissioner admitted the review would be “significantly more” than the ad cost, but said it was worth it.

“I do think it’s important principle around the sensitive issues and the use of social media. Overall, we will achieve value from it,” the Commissioner said.

The advertisements themselves last year prompted Labour MP Camilla Belich to write to the Auditor-General, requesting an investigation. In response, the Auditor-General said it would consider the outcome of the review commissioned by the Commission, and “if necessary, carry out further work at that stage”.

Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.