This is edition 2026/110 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Hi all,
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. What’s wrong with the public service?
Bryce Edwards
- 😠 Erica Stanford publicly expressed unusual fury at officials over Immigration New Zealand’s biometric project, saying she no longer trusts their advice and describing it as a “trifecta of terrible things.”
- 💻 The Biometric Capability Update (2018–2025) spent roughly $31–$40 million over seven years, cycled through multiple managers, and ultimately delivered no usable replacement system, leaving outdated 2012-era tech in place.
- 📉 While large public IT failures are not uncommon in New Zealand (e.g., INCIS, Novopay), this case is framed as more than just waste due to deeper governance and accountability breakdowns.
- 🧾 A central allegation is systemic misleading of ministers, including contradictory briefings where internal warnings about project failure were replaced with overly optimistic assurances to the minister.
- 🧑💼 The review also found staff who raised concerns were removed from the project, with whistleblowers describing a culture where questioning leadership could end careers.
- 🧮 Officials allegedly manipulated project structuring and costs to stay under the $35 million Cabinet approval threshold, effectively bypassing higher-level oversight requirements.
- 🧱 An independent review described ministerial reporting as inconsistent and misleading, with attempts to deflect blame onto junior staff when discrepancies were uncovered.
- ⚖️ Public Service Commissioner Brian Roche called the situation a “complete lack of integrity” but suggested it may be an “aberration,” a claim others question given similar concerns raised across agencies and years.
- 🏛️ Commentary suggests the problem is institutional rather than partisan, with multiple ministers across different governments reportedly being managed rather than properly informed by officials.
