53773 (2025). Camilla Belich to the Minister for Vocational Education

53773 (2025). Camilla Belich to the Minister for Vocational Education: What was the total expenditure, if any, by agencies for which the Minister is responsible, if any, since 27 November 2023 on (a) branding, marketing, or promotional materials; (b) consultants or contractors engaged for branding, internal communications, or culture-related projects; (c) novelty or promotional items such as (but not limited to) pens, stress balls, model animals, or branded clothing; (d) office furnishings, décor, or recreational equipment; (e) non-essential electrical items or appliances; (f) staff wellbeing or break-room facilities; (g) novelty, decorative, or entertainment items, whether purchased or hired; (h) repairs, replacements, or damages to property or hired items; and (i) expenditure recorded under “miscellaneous” or “other” cost categories, listed by agency, date, purpose, supplier, and total cost?

Hon Penny Simmonds: For a detailed breakdown of the costs by date, purpose, supplier and total please refer to the attached spreadsheet provided by the Tertiary Education Commission. A) TEC has not had any expenditure related to branding. TEC does manage public-facing awareness and promotional campaigns for a range of different initiatives: • The Vocational Educational Campaign was a multi-year awareness campaign budget funded by the previous government to raise awareness and parity of esteem with other higher education pathways. The total appropriation for the initiative was $3m which ended in FY23. Total expenditure was $117,465 over the last three financial years. • Pacific Work Connect was a contract originally funded by MBIE and then shifted to MSD and ended 30th June 2025. Total expenditure was $75,705 over the last three financial years. • Pre-purchased English Language Tuition (PELT) is an initiative designed to ensure immigrants to NZ access entitlements for English language tuition that they have paid as part of their visa application. Total expenditure was $8,945 over the last three financial years. • Inspiring the Future (ITF) is a programme designed to attract role models to volunteer to talk about their jobs in schools, to raise awareness for future career opportunities and challenge stereotypes. Total expenditure was $268,868 over the last 3 financial years. • Fees Free promotion is to ensure students and their families are aware of their entitlements for this fund. Total expenditure was $48,396 over the last three financial years. • Tahatū Career Navigator is a budget funded, public facing website for all New Zealanders to access information about school subjects, qualifications and jobs, to help them navigate career pathways. As it is a new website, there has been a focus on building new resources and creative assets to promote the website, including printed posters and user guides for all schools, video’s, photography and digital media, posters and billboards for outdoor media advertising. Total expenditure was $1,275,328 over the last three financial years. B) There was no expenditure on consultants or contractors for branding, internal communications or culture related projects. C) There was expenditure of $2,964 for pens/posters at trade-shows to promote Tahatū Career Navigator to students over the requested period. D) There was no expenditure on office furnishings, décor or recreational equipment. E) There was no expenditure on non-essential electrical items or appliances F) For Staff wellbeing or break-room facilities, total expenditure was $170,618 over the last three financial years. The majority of this is related to kitchen supplies and payment of staff contractual commitments for hearing and eye tests. G) There was no expenditure on novelty decorative or entertainment items H) For repairs, replacements or damages to property or hired items there was a total expenditure of $87,904 over the last three financial years. I) For expenditure recorded under miscellaneous or other cost categories, a total of $30,998 was spent over the last three financial years.