13 January 2025
Miran M
Via email
Email: [FYI request #29302 email]
Dear Miran
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL INFORMATION AND MEETINGS
ACT 1987 (LGOIMA) – ADVERTISING COSTS
Your request
On 23 November 2024, we received your request for information. In particular, your request was as follows:
Dear Watercare Services Limited,
I am requesting information be provided to the following please:
1) Watercare's total expenditure on advertising in 2023. This should include a detailed breakdown of
costs, encompassing campaign execution, design, outsourcing costs, consultancy fees, employee
costs (if applicable) and anything other relevant cost. Please provide both the total expenditure and a
categorised breakdown with as much detail as possible.
2) The percentage of revenue used for advertising and related expenses (as detailed in point 1) in 2023
by Watercare.
3) Watercare's expenditure on advertising and related expenses (as detailed in point 1) for 2024 to date,
and the forecasted expenditure for the remainder of 2024.
4) An insight into whether advertising expenditure for 2023 and then year-to-date 2024 is within budget,
or if it has exceeded budgeted amounts.
Yours faithfully,
Miran M
Our response
We provide our response below to your LGOIMA request in the order of your email.
1) Watercare's total expenditure on advertising in 2023. This should include a detailed breakdown of
costs, encompassing campaign execution, design, outsourcing costs, consultancy fees, employee costs
(if applicable) and anything other relevant cost. Please provide both the total expenditure and a
categorised breakdown with as much detail as possible.
In the past financial year (1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024), a total of $73,563 was spent on advertising and related
expenses. Breakdown of costs below:
Recruitment advertising
$22,859
Board meeting public notices: we are required to
$12,850
notify the public of our board meetings.
Price change advertising: in accordance with our
$27,210
customer contract, we are required to give our
customers at least 10-days' notice of the annual price
rise.
Other customer advertising: in accordance with
$10,644
national drinking water standards, we are required to
run ads to encourage people to flush their taps first
thing in the morning. We also advertise our education
programme in the ‘Starters and Strategies’ magazine
for teachers once or twice each year. In the past year,
we also promoted our new customer app to
encourage people to download it.
Total
$73,563
In addition to advertising, we regularly boost our posts on social media platforms to increase Aucklanders’
understanding of their water services – including information about outages and the work we are undertaking to
maintain, renew and expand our infrastructure. Over the course of the financial year, we spent $37,048.
2) The percentage of revenue used for advertising and related expenses (as detailed in point 1) in 2023 by
Watercare.
In the past financial year, the percentage of revenue used for advertising and related expenses is 0.000068%.
Our revenue was $1,085,078,000.
3) Watercare's expenditure on advertising and related expenses (as detailed in point 1) for 2024 to date,
and the forecasted expenditure for the remainder of 2024.
This financial year (1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025) to date, a total of $53,350 has been spent on advertising and
related expenses. The budget is up to $271,600.
4) An insight into whether advertising expenditure for 2023 and then year-to-date 2024 is within budget, or if
it has exceeded budgeted amounts.
Both advertising expenditure for the past financial year and the current financial year to date is within budget.
Future options
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about
how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Rachel Hughes
Head of Communications
