Taxpayers stung by overspending on mobile phones

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Forums › Finance and wealth management › Taxpayers stung by overspending on mobile phones - Herald article

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gzt

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#650324 3-Jul-2012 22:50

The biggest blowout in there was Genesis. My guess is a far more corporate culture when compared with a CRI or DHB.

When that gets listed later on you will not get this kind of visibility at all.

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Kyanar

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#650363 4-Jul-2012 00:56

gzt: The biggest blowout in there was Genesis. My guess is a far more corporate culture when compared with a CRI or DHB.

When that gets listed later on you will not get this kind of visibility at all.

Yeah, but as a shareholder you'll be able to.... sorry, couldn't keep a straight face while typing that. I just can't finish it.

WolfmanNZ

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#650629 4-Jul-2012 13:53

Kyanar:
surfisup1000:
This is typical abuse of tax payer funds.

Look at all the junkets many government employees enjoy. I've got mates employed by the public service who get sent on the most ridiculous training courses --- including flights , and accommodation in decent hotels. The cost would run into many thousands for 0 return for the taxpayer.

It's not typical at all. Most departments/crown entities/crown research institutes are actually pretty darned strict. As an employee of a DHB, we got exactly zero training/outing opportunities. The best we got was an opportunity at the end of the year to use some of our unused Microsoft support contract money to go on product training (no flights or accomodation though - it's "training's in town. Getting there is your problem").

What Kyanar said. We do get training, buts its specific to platforms we use, and usually only preceding a roll out of the new one, so we have the skills to support it. And wherever possible cashing in those Microsoft support hours to pay for the course if its a Microsoft product. There is a limit on the hotels we can stay (ie a cost per night) so no 5 star accomodation - but its fair to say we do get to stay at 'decent' places. IE not complete Sh*tholes (tho I have had to in the past whilst at a course the same week the Sevens were on in Wellington, thanks to massive demand that week)

I think the problem the article refers to is mainly due to these 'Senior' civil servants not deigning to notify their IT/ Phone dept of their needs prior to heading off oseas, ('none of their business I am too important' etc) and generally being ignorant of the costs involved.

gzt

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#650960 4-Jul-2012 21:42

I doubt the executives at Genesis see themselves as senior civil servants. Quite the opposite probably.

keewee01

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#651104 5-Jul-2012 09:23

As a Genesis customer I am very disappointed to hear they're guilty of frivolous spending.

If they weren't so cheap I would move.

timmmay

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#651163 5-Jul-2012 10:58

$10K is irrelevant in terms of the government budget, but the lesson should be learned to avoid it happening 100 times a year - that'd cost a million bucks, which is starting to become significant.

tardtasticx

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#651364 5-Jul-2012 15:19

This really disappoints me. These people get to go all out on stupid stuff like this without a care, but the schools in my area have such little money to spend on anything but the necessities. Imagine what 10K could do for a decile 1 school.

At my work, All of the executives and their assistants have iPhones without spending limits. It really annoyed me knowing that they got all these unnecessary things when areas of the hospital were struggling on their low budgets. I only work part time, but when I worked full time over the summer, it took me two full working weeks to afford one of those phones outright. Thats an insane amount of money. Priorities need to be set right because im sure this is happening everywhere, not just a few govt. organisations. Makes me pretty angry to think my money is being spent on this.

Handle9

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#651385 5-Jul-2012 15:43

tardtasticx: This really disappoints me. These people get to go all out on stupid stuff like this without a care, but the schools in my area have such little money to spend on anything but the necessities. Imagine what 10K could do for a decile 1 school.

At my work, All of the executives and their assistants have iPhones without spending limits. It really annoyed me knowing that they got all these unnecessary things when areas of the hospital were struggling on their low budgets. I only work part time, but when I worked full time over the summer, it took me two full working weeks to afford one of those phones outright. Thats an insane amount of money. Priorities need to be set right because im sure this is happening everywhere, not just a few govt. organisations. Makes me pretty angry to think my money is being spent on this.

The chances of the business paying for the iphones is pretty slim. Depending on the size of the spend the devices are generally free from the comms provider. I think we get a budget of $40k per annum for devices at work from our provider. We choose how we use it.

"Spending limits" are not a concept which are normal in business mobile use. If you need to use your mobile you use your mobile. I can imagine the conversation with my boss if I didn't make a necessary business phone call because I was worried about what it costs, and it wouldn't be a good one.

It's a tool for doing business, which is justifiable and tax deductible. If the bill is unusually high, compared to other in a similar role, you'll get asked why.

I think a lot of these sort of stories that end up in the paper are mistakes. They happen in private businesses as well, just they never end up in the paper.

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