New Zealanders benefit economically and socially through Inland Revenue working collaboratively across our external environment

We supported other agencies to administer COVID-19 support

Throughout the year, we supported Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) by verifying applications for the Leave Support Subsidy and Short-Term Absence Payments.

Between August and December 2021, we supported MSD to administer the Wage Subsidy Scheme. We made a portal available so MSD people could access information directly themselves and verify income information for self-employed people. To further support the integrity of the Wage Subsidy Scheme, using data provided by MSD, we pre-populated 2022 income information for customers with details of the wage subsidy payments they received. Each time the scheme was available, we provided analytical support to MSD to help identify where further post-payment checks may be appropriate. We also took 192,000 calls this year to help verify people's eligibility.

We've also shared our experience with Te Manatū Taonga the Ministry of Culture and Heritage (MCH) on the design of their Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund (CSERF) for self-employed people. An information-sharing arrangement with MCH supported the administration of the CSERF - we made checks to help stop double-dipping, as the CSERF and COVID-19 Support Payment were available at the same time and people were not able to get both. If this did happen, we sought repayment on behalf of the Ministry.

We continued to be actively involved in providing advice and input to other agencies on the design of COVID-19 initiatives, even when we did not administer them. We worked with other agencies to ensure communications to customers across government agencies were consistent and coordinated. For example, we included information in the newsletter for businesses published by Hīkina Whakatutuki the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Sharing what we learnt from business transformation

Inland Revenue has had many requests to share what has been learned in successfully delivering our $1.5 billion transformation programme. We launched a website in July 2021 that provides detail behind our programme to other agencies and organisations.

"This was one of the largest and most ambitious programmes of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, so it’s not surprising that others want to know what we did right, and what lessons we learned in doing it", says Deputy Commissioner Greg James.

All the tools, plans, and templates used for the programme are on the site and can be downloaded. Each stage of the programme is covered, including insights from projects that ran parallel with the programme such as intelligence and analytics, digital ecosystem and organisational design.

Our transformation has been recognised as a success both in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally, and this is an effective way we can ensure that new transformation programmes get the chance to benefit from our experience.

Business Transformation

Changes to the KiwiSaver default scheme

On 14 May 2021, the Government announced changes to the default KiwiSaver scheme providers. Every 7 years, default providers are reviewed. This is the second time a review has been held but the first-time any default providers have lost their status, which meant we were required to transfer members from the exiting default providers. 5 existing providers lost their default status, and 2 new providers were appointed. There are now 6 default providers.

The transfer process began in December 2021. This was a big undertaking, as there were approximately 223,000 members in default schemes, and around $2.3 billion in funds to be re-allocated. We made improvements to the system we use to securely communicate with providers so we could quickly and securely share information. We used this system to let exiting providers know that a transfer had been initiated, and let new/continuing providers know which schemes their new members previously belonged to so they could contact them to arrange a transfer of funds. Once the transfer of funds was completed, the new providers used the system to advise us that the transfer was complete, and the old provider to confirm that the account with them was closed. Our modernised capabilities helped make this a smooth and secure process for providers and members.

The automatic transfer process was a success. By working closely with the exiting providers, and sharing necessary information, we transferred the right members. Most of the transfers were completed by Christmas 2021, with the final transfers completed in April 2022.

95% of KiwiSaver contributions are transferred to scheme providers within 2 days.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Better for Business programme researches customer experiences with several government agencies, including Inland Revenue. Its Customer Experience Index (CXI) uses 10 dimensions to generate insights into how government agencies can improve the experience that businesses have when they deal with them.

We scored 62 on the Customer Experience Index.

Over the past year, our CXI score has dropped 1 point to 62. This small decrease was due to drops in satisfaction and service performance (the percentage of matters we resolved in 2 contacts), which dropped 5 and 6 points respectively. These changes reflect the effect that ongoing high customer demand has had on Inland Revenue. This high demand is a result of more customers seeking our support when they’ve been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two of the dimensions improved by 4 points from last year - less frustration or stress and less time spent on day-to-day government requirements. These changes may reflect the 'right from the start' approach we use to educate all our new business customers, and our self-service options that allow customers to get their issues resolved quickly.

Note: in 2020, the survey used to generate information for the Customer Experience Index was put on hold due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses.