Website allows public to track Govt spending

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age

The public will be able to track every taxpayer dollar spent through social services through a radical and totally transparent new cyber mapping system, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett revealed this morning.

"Finding out exactly what services are funded and by how much, anywhere in the country, is now a few clicks away," Ms Bennett said.

The justice, health and education sectors will also be brought online soon, as well as Te Puni Kokiri.

Some provider details will be still be kept secret for security reasons.

"Providers like Women's Refuge who deal with sensitive issues will have their exact location concealed, which I think makes sense," Ms Bennett said.

The website - contractmapping.govt.nz - is live now and includes information from the Ministry of Social Development, Child Youth and Family, Work and Income, the Ministry of Youth Development, and Family and Community Services.

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said it was important to see exactly how public resources help communities.

"What I really like about this idea is that it takes problems and difficulties in our communities, which we always talked about in generalised ways - Maori, Pacifika or social economic disadvantage - and this tool is going to change the whole Government mindset because it deals with people and where they are.

"Ministers up til now have not been able to know how much public money is spent in a place. That might sound simple but it's transformational.

"People live in places and we need to make decisions about where they live."

Mr English said the system had the potential, for example, to pinpoint troubled teenagers in one area which would then enable social services to identify them and help them to change one by one.

The decision making process will be "democratised", Mr English said, because any member of the public will have access to the website.

"Everyone in New Plymouth will have access to as good as information as the minister."