Highlights

In March 2023, we published The Auditor-General’s strategic intentions to 2028, which sets out what we want to achieve and the outcomes we are working towards.

Many issues are affecting the long-term sustainability of public sector audits ...

The Auditor-General’s auditing standard on independence is stricter than the one for the private sector. We monitor the services that audit service providers carry out for public organisations they audit on behalf of the Auditor-General. 

We have carried out work looking at the effectiveness of the current public accountability system and have published reports on how it can be improved.

We continued working on our te ao Māori strategy, and we established a Rōpū Māori to advise us as we carry out work to enhance our impact in te ao Māori.

Integrity is at the heart of the public's trust in the public sector. We have a role in supporting the public sector to operate with integrity.

Audit fees have not kept up with audit costs for some time. Costs have continued to rise in response to increased complexity, changing professional standards, and, more recently, high wage inflation reflecting labour shortages in the accounting and audit professions.

Covid-19 severely affected audit timeliness. Overall, 63% of audits were completed before the statutory deadlines in 2019/20 – compared to just over 80% before the pandemic.

Our work promotes and supports the transparent, accountable, effective, and efficient use of public sector resources in the Pacific.

This year, we completed 11 performance audits (including follow-up work), along with 12 other publications, including research reports, sector reports, and good practice guides.