# Statement about Radio New Zealand’s independent review

Date: 10 Nov 2026
Released by: The Audit Office

## MediaRelease.co Summary

The Audit Office said it has engaged with Radio New Zealand (RNZ) and its appointed auditor EY since learning in October of issues raised in RNZ's annual report. Auditor-General Grant Taylor said the Office will consider the findings of RNZ's planned independent review, including what they show about RNZ's internal controls. He said the case is a timely reminder of why good systems, processes and internal controls matter where public money is involved.

## Original release

Under the Public Audit Act 2001, the Controller and Auditor-General conducts annual audits of 3300 public organisations. These include government departments, local councils, schools, and Crown entities such as Radio New Zealand (RNZ). The Auditor-General appoints external auditors to complete some of this work, while an in-house team within The Audit Office completes other audits. EY is RNZ's appointed auditor and is contracted by the Auditor-General to conduct RNZ’s annual audit. During the audit, the auditor examined the financial statements and performance information, assessed the risk of material misstatement, and obtained sufficient appropriate evidence to support the audit opinion. This work identified the issues now shared by RNZ. The Audit Office was made aware of issues raised in RNZ’s annual report in October and has since engaged with RNZ and EY to understand the circumstances and the steps being taken in response. “RNZ has announced it will commission an independent review. We will continue to engage with RNZ as that work progresses and will consider the review's findings, including what they tell us about RNZ’s internal controls, the rigour with which information is scrutinised and challenged before being put to decision makers, and any changes needed to prevent similar issues from recurring,” said Auditor-General Grant Taylor. “This is a timely reminder of why good systems, processes and internal controls matter. Where public money is involved, organisations need appropriate controls in place and, importantly, ensure they are consistently followed.” “It also reinforces the value of the annual audit process, which provides independent assurance over financial reporting and helps identify areas where systems and controls may need strengthening,” Mr Taylor said. We will have no further comment while RNZ’s review process is under way.

## Key details

- Issued by: The Audit Office
- Published: 10 Nov 2026
- Publisher country: New Zealand

Original source: https://ao.parliament.nz/about-us/news/2026/rnz-independent-review
MediaRelease.co canonical URL: https://mediarelease.co/nz/mr02809-statement-about-radio-new-zealand-s-independent-10112026.html