38723 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister of Internal Affairs

38723 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister of Internal Affairs: How much, if any, was spent in the 2025/26 financial year in the Minister's departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, on artificial intelligence, including costs on training staff, deploying systems, maintaining subscriptions and any other associated costs?

Hon Brooke van Velden: I am advised by the Department of Internal Affairs that in the 2025/26 financial year, the total artificial intelligence spend was around $1.94 million. This figure includes spending by MEC and NEMA. I am advised by Lotto NZ that in the 2025/26 financial year, the total artificial intelligence spend was $48,277. I am advised by the Classification Office that it uses a wide range of subscription-based services which incorporate AI functionality. This ranges from Copilot which is embedded within Microsoft products (including SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, and Windows Defender), security systems, and finance applications as well as more specialised applications. The AI component of these items in terms of both functionality and cost is not separable. I am advised by Fire and Emergency New Zealand that in the 2025/26 financial year, the total artificial intelligence spend was around $705,338.69