The New Zealand Film Commission has raised eyebrows by throwing two parties apiece for its outgoing acting chief executive, and for its incoming chief executive, for a total cost of $16,431. 

In a kind of mirror image approval, incoming chief executive Annie Murray signed off the $8,627 price of two farewell parties for outgoing acting chief executive Mladen Ivancic; and Ivancic signed off the $7,804 price of two pōwhiri (welcome events) for Murray. 

The celebrations took place in 2023, several months before the October election that ushered in a new Government and a “savings and efficiency drive” across the public sector – Budget 2024 reduced the NZFC’s baseline funding by 7.5% ($405,000 per annum). 

Christopher Luxon says the Film Commission's spending on parties doesn't seem appropriate. 

The Prime Minister told Mike Hosking that such spending won't do anything to attract companies like Apple, who are interested in doing film productions in New Zealand. 

Luxon says for a company like Apple, what matters is that he's aware of what's going on, and that he's encouraging them to do to the project here, rather than elsewhere. 

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