Te Whatu Ora - Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty spent $515,931.69 on external and outsourced communications in six months. Photo / George Novak
Nearly $1 million has been spent on advertising and external communications by the Bay of Plenty's health board in six months.
A political analyst says this is a "phenomenal amount of money" for a health provider to spend on public relations and advertising.
But Te Whatu Ora - Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty says the costs related to an "extraordinary" time for Covid-19 communications and advertising and its investment had saved "many families from the heartbreak of loss".
Information obtained under the Official Information Act showed Te Whatu Ora - Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty, previously Bay of Plenty District Health Board, spent more than $500,000 on external and outsourced communications in six months - money it says was mostly financed by the Government.
Between January 1 and June 30, 2022, it spent $515,931.69, which included Covid and non-Covid "business as usual" communications.
It also spent $464,754 on advertising during that period, which included Covid media and paper-based advertising, and non-Covid "business as usual" advertising.
Six contractors/agencies were employed for external/outsourced communications. An agency may have more than one person to deliver the service contracted.
The work was outsourced due to "insufficient internal capacity" at the time.
The information said the communications team worked on a "summer messaging project", an emergency department programme, bowel screening, orthotics change of provider, Whakaari, influenza, Covid vaccinations, and PPE (personal protective equipment).
It also worked on industrial action arrangements, winter wellness, flu vaccinations, immunisations, the internal staff bulletin, social media, website and transition changes, and distributing information from the Ministry of Health and Technical Advisory Services.
The communications team also responded to patient email inquiries.
Victoria University of Wellington political analyst Dr Bryce Edwards said the information suggested about $1m a year was being spent on external communications contractors and another $1m on advertising.
"This appears to be a phenomenal amount of money for a health provider to spend on advertising and public relations."
Edwards said many citizens would be suspicious this might include "wasted money" when the health system was under "severe strain".
There was a "rising public suspicion" that authorities wasted too much money when they got expensive outside contractors to do what might otherwise be done by existing staff, he said.
There was also suspicion authorities sometimes directed more resources into public relations at the expense of actual frontline services and employing public health professionals, he said.
"They need to convincingly explain to the public why this spending is so large and what it has achieved."
Edwards said the pandemic showed communications were an "essential" part of dealing with a public health crisis.
"Information is vitally important, and the public's health benefits from this."
But, in his view, he said the public had learned authorities had not always managed the Covid response "in the best way" or used resources in an "optimal way".
"Too often the 'Covid excuse' has been extensively used to justify all sorts of projects."
In response, Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Hauora A Toi Bay of Plenty acting district director Pete Chandler said the communications and advertising spend was "overwhelmingly focused on addressing and managing" Covid in the Bay.
The costs related to an "extraordinary period of time" when "extensive" Covid communications and vaccination campaigns advertising were at their "peak".
With Covid outbreaks, vaccination, booster and measles, mumps, and rubella campaigns, the costs for this period were "unprecedented".
"But these have been essential to achieving the high Covid vaccination rates we have achieved together in the Bay."
Chandler said its internal communications team had the equivalent of 2.5 full-time employees, which was "small for an organisation of its size". He said it was the biggest employer in the Bay of about 4500 staff and served a "fast-growing district" of about 267,000 people.
It also undertook multiple "nationally important pieces of work" in a short timeframe focused on Covid, vaccinations and measles, mumps, and rubella to help keep communities safe.
"This was outside our business-as-usual resourcing and as such support was required to complete this essential work."
Chandler said more than 80 per cent of the external/outsourced communication costs and more than 90 per cent of advertising costs were Covid-specific and was financed by central government. Costs not financed by the government was paid for through its normal annual budget.
The board's staff worked long hours, late evenings and seven days a week to ensure the work was done, he said.
Chandler said infection rates and number of deaths in the "highest risk rural communities" had so far been lower than originally predicted due to it responding "comprehensively" with "intensive community information and engagement" around Covid.
"Locally we achieved over 90 per cent vaccination rates, lower levels of infection per capita and infection rates well below the national sourced outbreak modelling data."
He said its investment was "intentional, targeted, carefully considered and has saved many families from the heartbreak of loss".
Public Relations Institute of New Zealand chief executive Elaine Koller said it was "not unusual" for organisations to use contractors, particularly for the Covid response.
"It's generally good practice because ... they hit the ground running."
Koller said contractors were often hired because of their specialist skills.
"Contractors are always going to be more expensive than employees - they have to pay the costs of their own business, their own tax, their own ACC, they don't get leave ... That's obviously built into a contracted rate."
Te Whatu Ora lakes, formerly Lakes District Health Board, spent no money on external or outsourced communications between January 1 and June 30, 2022.
There were three full-time equivalent employees in the internal communications team at Te Whatu Ora Lakes during this period.
Te Whatu Ora Lakes communications manager Dana Kinita said it did not need contractors as communication needs were met and delivered by the employed communications team.
They allege the Crown ignored Treaty obligations by not engaging with them.