34680 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister responsible for RMA Reform

34680 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister responsible for RMA Reform: How much, if any, is the total (finalised) budget in the Minister's departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, for the 2026/27 financial year on artificial intelligence- including costs on training staff, deploying systems, maintaining subscriptions and any other associated costs?

Hon Chris Bishop: As the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, I have responsibility for the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT), which was established on 1 July 2026. Based on the existing budgets of MCERT’s foundational agencies, the currently identified 2026/27 budget for artificial intelligence related costs is $1,068,898. This includes identified costs relating to artificial intelligence, such as staff training, system deployment, subscriptions, maintenance, and other associated costs. MCERT is still in the process of fully merging and resetting budgets as a unified Ministry. Accordingly, this figure does not necessarily reflect the final consolidated 2026/27 budget for artificial intelligence use for MCERT.