12 May 2023
Official Information Request No.8140011798
(Please quote this in any correspondence)
Sonny Williams
By email
- [FYI request #22451 email]
Tēnā koe Sonny
Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA)
Eke Panuku spending communications
Thank you for your email which we received on 14 April 2023.
I also refer to my email to you on
18 April 2023, clarifying your request for the financial
information for the
2021-2022 financial year and a 2022-2023 YTD eg the current year and
last year.
The specific details of your request and our response is below.
The expenditure is based on the 2021-22 Financial Year.
As per the Local Government Act 2002, local government authorities are required to promote
democratic participation in work undertaken by Councils and Council Controlled
Organisations by making information available to the public. (Local Government Act 2002,
Sec 59 Clause 1(c): “Principal objective of a council-control ed organisation is to.. [have]
regard to the interests of the community in which it operates”)
The provision of public information about the urban regeneration Eke Panuku undertakes is
a core component of our work.
In addition, please note that our own research, and feedback from the Auckland Council’s
CCO Review in 2020 has highlighted that Aucklanders who live in locations where Eke
Panuku is working are interested to hear more about Eke Panuku’s plans. In 2022, in the
Mayor’s Letter of Expectation to Eke Panuku, he has requested that we “develop and report
on a model for internal local project oversight groups for projects in priority locations, which
enables input from local experts.”
Can you please let me know how much Eke Panuku spends on communications?
I would like to know how much the business spends on:
- Internal number of staff and their roles
At 30 June 2022, there were 14.8 full time equivalent roles working on communications and
engagement. These roles include provision of public information to elected representatives
(including 21 local boards) and key stakeholders as well as consultation, engagement and
communications on Eke Panuku projects. These roles include:
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
• Senior Communications and Engagement Advisors
• Senior Corporate Communications Advisor
• Corporate Communications Advisor
• Channels and Content Advisors
• Channels and Content Co-ordinator
• Senior Media Advisor
• Heads of Communications and Engagement, Corporate Communications and
Channels and Content
The total cost of communications and engagement staff for the year ended 30 June 2022
was $1.6m.
- External agencies (eg paid media, external design)
$761,825.88
Wherever possible, Eke Panuku procures from suppliers which have been vetted and sit on
a panel of preferred suppliers of Auckland Council. This offers significant discounts and co-
ordination/sharing of work across the Council family. Please note that this category also
includes external agencies that help us make our websites including those required for our
marina business. The provision of information on our websites is a cost effective and
efficient way to enable people to find information about our work and for them to participate
in consultation and feedback processes.
- External consultants (eg how many people, total cost)
$13,860.00
- Social media (eg Google ads, Facebook, Instagram)
$5,612.69
Please note that wherever possible, Eke Panuku is reducing reliance on costly printed
materials and instead is using digital channels, such our and others’ websites and social
media channels. This enables us to share information with a large number of the community
in a timely and efficient way.
- Photography (eg internal photography, external photography)
$157,950.00
Providing photos of urban regeneration locations is an important way for us to develop public
understanding about where regeneration changes wil take place in neighbourhoods.
Eke Panuku also manages one of New Zealand’s largest and most diverse property
portfolios on behalf of Auckland Council. Part of our role is to ensure that changes to this
publicly owned portfolio are communicated to the public and that images of the Council’s
assets are captured over time for archival purposes. Many of these images are drone
images and drone video to capture the location of sites and properties in context.
The decision by Eke Panuku to release the information contained in this response was made
by a senior manager with the delegated authority from the Chief Executive of Eke Panuku.
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
You have the right to seek an investigation and review of this response by the Ombudsman.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or freephone 0800 802 602.
If you have any questions please contact m
e at [email address] or
contact me on 09 301 0101, quoting LGOIMA No. 8140011798.
Ngā mihi
Elaine Tunai-Po
Privacy & Official Information Business Partner
Governance Services
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
