31306 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Tertiary Education

31306 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Tertiary Education: How much in total, if any, is forecast to be spent on renumeration of Crown appointees in the Minister's departments, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, for the 2026-27 financial year?

Hon Penny Simmonds: I have been informed that the Ministry of Education does not forecast expenditure on remuneration (fees) for the Boards of Crown entities. Please refer to the answer to written parliamentary question 13863 (2026) for information on the estimated cost of fee increases agreed for the Board of the Tertiary Education Commission in October 2025. In accordance with clause 17 of Schedule 11 of the Education and Training Act 2020, I set the maximum fees payable to the governing councils of tertiary education institutions (TEIs). The actual fee levels are then determined by the individual councils up to this maximum level. I set the actual fees paid to the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology Council and the Industry Skills Boards. The fees for the council and board members are paid from within each organisation’s baseline, and will be reported in each organisation’s annual report.