Response to concerns regarding the Ministry of Health's funding of I Am Hope/Gumboot Friday

In 2024, we wrote to the Ministry of Health about its contract with I Am Hope to deliver youth mental health services under its Gumboot Friday initiative. Our letter raised concerns about the procurement process and said we would monitor the progress of this contract.

As part of this monitoring, we carried out a review as part of the Ministry's 2024/25 audit. This review found that the contract was being managed appropriately and in line with good practice.

Last month, Ingrid Leary MP asked us to investigate the cost effectiveness and value for money of this contract, and the appropriateness of performance reporting and risk management controls.

We have now published our response to Ms Leary's request where we outline the work we have done and respond to her concerns. For the reasons set out in our letter, we do not consider that further investigation is necessary at this time.

Read our letter in full for more information on the work we did, what we found, and the reasons for our decision: https://www.oag.parliament.nz/2025/i-am-hope

Read our 2024 letter to the Ministry of Health: https://oag.parliament.nz/2024/gumboot-friday