Performance audit reports

Maintaining and renewing the rail network

July 2008: We carried out a performance audit to provide assurance about the effectiveness of Ontrack’s systems for maintaining and renewing the rail network...

Reporting the progress of defence acquisition projects

June 2008: An interim report setting out a high-level summary of cost and time frame changes for 10 defence projects...

Ministry of Education: Monitoring and supporting school boards of trustees

June 2008: Overall, the Ministry provides some useful training and general support for all boards. It also has good systems for supporting boards that are clearly at risk of poor performance. We have made nine recommendations...

The Accident Compensation Corporation's leadership in the implementation of the national falls prevention strategy

June 2008: The Accident Compensation Corporation has carried out useful work leading the strategy, but progress has been uneven. We identified two matters for ACC's immediate attention - its leadership mandate and the evaluation framework...

Ministry of Social Development: Preventing, detecting, and investigating benefit fraud

June 2008: Overall, the Ministry has good systems, policies, and procedures for preventing, detecting, and investigating benefit fraud. We have made eight recommendations...

Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation: Governance and management of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund

May 2008: We carried out a performance audit of the Guardians to provide independent assurance to Parliament about whether the Superannuation Fund is being prudently governed and managed...

Responses to the Coroner's recommendations on the June 2003 Air Adventures crash

May 2008: At the Minister of Transport’s request, we looked at how the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Transport considered, responded to, and reported on each of the Coroner’s recommendations...

Inland Revenue Department: Effectiveness of the Industry Partnership programme

April 2008: We looked at an IRD programme that sought to reduce the incidence of undeclared income from cash transactions...

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise: Administration of grant programmes - follow-up audit

March 2008: We assessed the extent to which New Zealand Trade and Enterprise had addressed the areas of concern identified in 2004 when we examined its administration of grant programmes...

Mental health services for prisoners

March 2008: We conducted a performance audit that focused on the effectiveness of the agencies' systems for delivering mental health services to sentenced and remand prisoners...

New Zealand Agency for International Development: Management of overseas aid programmes

January 2008: We examined the effectiveness of the New Zealand Agency for International Development's management of overseas aid programmes...

Liquor licensing by territorial authorities

November 2007: Results of the performance audit we carried out to examine how DLAs were giving effect to the provisions of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989 - controlling the sale and supply of liquor to reduce alcohol-related harm...

Implementing the Māori Language Strategy

November 2007: We conducted a performance audit to see whether the lead agencies responsible for implementing the Strategy were carrying out their roles effectively...

Management of conflicts of interest in the three Auckland District Health Boards

November 2007: We looked at how conflicts of interest are dealt with in each of the three Auckland District Health Boards (the Auckland DHB, the Counties Manukau DHB, and the Waitemata DHB)...

Turning principles into action: A guide for local authorities on decision-making and consultation

September 2007: This guide sets out the Auditor-General’s and the local government sector’s views on current good practice. The guide updates our 1998 report, and should be useful for local authorities and the public...

Effectiveness of the New Zealand Debt Management Office

June 2007: We looked at NZDMO’s performance in managing the Crown’s public debt and financial asset portfolios. This report is very technical because of the specialist functions undertaken by NZDMO. Non-technical readers can be assured that the audit did not identify any fundamental concerns with the performance of NZDMO...

Department of Labour: Management of immigration identity fraud

June 2007: The Department has systems, processes, procedures, and relationships with relevant external agencies in place for the prevention, detection, and investigation of identity fraud within the skilled migrant and United Nations quota refugee entry categories. However, we noted several areas where improvements need to be made...

Assessing arrangements for jointly maintaining state highways and local roads

June 2007: Transit New Zealand and district councils have separate statutory responsibilities for state highways and local roads respectively. In three districts, they have joined forces in different ways to manage and maintain local roads and state highways. We looked at how well these collaborative agreements are working, and what cost savings and other benefits they bring...

Statements of corporate intent: Legislative compliance and performance reporting

June 2007: Statements of corporate intent are designed to have an important accountability function for many public entities. In this report we make some specific recommendations, which the Auditor-General encourages all public entities required to produce a statement of corporate intent to follow...

New Zealand Customs Service: Collecting customs revenue

June 2007: We conducted a performance audit that assessed the Service’s arrangements for collecting customs duties, excise, and Goods and Services Tax on imported goods. The Service’s arrangements for collecting customs revenue are sound, and its information technology systems are performing effectively...