https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/bruce-cotterill-when-the-only-thing-transparent-is-the-politicians-spin/VLBP2RV63RA67AOEYVWVWL7M4E/
I’ve been thinking about transparency since my last column about government spending. I received over 200 emails, many from people working in the public service, each with their own stories of wasteful spending within ministries. They also told of cover-ups and gross negligence. These people are educators, police and health workers. But the best story was from a carpet wholesaler who sold his entire stock to a government department eager to spend their year’s budget for fear of having future budgets reduced if they didn’t. They didn’t need the carpet. They didn’t even care what colour it was. They just needed to spend the taxpayer money before the due date. If reading that makes you grumpy, you’re not alone.
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