34712 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Māori Development

34712 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Māori Development: 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 Tama Potaka: I am advised by Te Puni Kōkiri that its forecast expenditure on artificial intelligence for the 2026/27 financial year is approximately $165,000, comprising: - Microsoft Copilot licences (subscriptions): $141,000 budgeted. This amount is a forecast only and actual expenditure may be lower. - Copilot Cowork usage: approximately $12,000 in consumption-based token costs (around $1,000 per month). - Azure AI Foundry usage: approximately $12,000 in consumption-based token costs (around $1,000 per month) to support an internal language-support agent. I am further advised that these figures are forecast and budgeted amounts rather than committed expenditure, and that consumption-based costs will vary depending on actual usage over the financial year. Te Puni Kōkiri does not maintain a separately allocated budget for artificial intelligence-related staff training. Such training is delivered internally as part of business-as-usual activities.