One agency alone accounted for more than 200 agreements in five years
New Zealand’s public service has paid out at least $7.5 million in workplace bullying, harassment and discrimination settlements since 2020, with nearly all agreements kept confidential.
Official Information Act requests sent to a dozen government agencies revealed widespread use of confidentiality clauses across the public sector, obscuring the true scale of the problem from public view. Legal fees added millions more to the taxpayer cost.
Health New Zealand recorded the highest costs, with 205 settlements totalling $4.08 million between January 2020 and December 2025, according to an investigation by The Post. Most payments ranged from $10,000 to $50,000, though 18 exceeded $50,000. The agency also spent at least $624,310 on external legal advice for these claims, with internal legal costs not tracked per case. About 99% of settlements included confidentiality clauses.
The Ministry of Social Development reported the most settlements at 245 over five years but refused to disclose costs or specific details, citing operational concerns. The ministry told The Post analysing the data would “impair the Ministry’s ability to continue standard operations,” despite taking 13 weeks to respond.
Police paid out $1.64 million across 83 settlements, spending more than $630,000 in external legal fees. In 12 cases, payments went to the subject of the complaint, often linked to unsubstantiated allegations or...
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