The Auditor-General’s mid-term review has been presented to the House of Representatives today.
Auditor-General, John Ryan said he had commissioned the review to reflect on the progress of the Office midway through his seven-year term, to identify challenges ahead and confirm key priorities for the remainder of the term.
“This will also help to prepare the Office for the next Auditor-General in 2025,” said Mr Ryan.
“The Office has built a strong reputation over many years. The review found that we have made good progress on the strategy developed in 2017/18,” he said.
“We have broadened the focus and approach of our work to increase our impact, expanded and updated our good practice material, increased the use of data and analytics, and provided more reporting from the Controller function.”
The Auditor-General said his Office had sharpened its focus on influencing improvements in public accountability and continuing to build capability to enhance relationships with Māori.
“This work was supported by increased investment from Parliament that has allowed us to invest more in our people and systems to position us well for the future,” said Mr Ryan.
“The most significant challenge we currently face is delivering the Office’s mandatory audit work. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated many of the challenges already facing the audit profession and created new ones.”
This meant that it was not possible to complete all audits within statutory timeframes, the Auditor-General said.
“While good progress is being made in clearing deferred audits, this is an ongoing area of focus. Ensuring the sustainability of public sector audits will be a priority for the remainder of my term.”
“I will also continue to focus on increasing the impact of our work, strengthening our relationships with Māori, and building our influence as a trusted and independent source of information for Parliament and the public,” said Mr Ryan.
