Department of Corrections staff, who took more than 50 domestic flights daily around New Zealand in the past year, underspent their travel budget by nearly $1 million, newly released figures show.
Details released to the Otago Daily Times under the Official Information Act reveal the $5.6 million spent on 13,090 flights in the 2008-09 period was $940,824 below the $6.6 million budget allocated for domestic and international air travel.
Taxpayers also shelled out $666,905 to ferry prisoners around the country in the past year but that figure was also lower than expected, dropping $304,440 on the previous financial year.
Department staff flew business class on 15 overseas trips while the department flew in nine potential staff for interviews, also business class.
Three of those trips - for unspecified reasons - were to the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi, excursions that cost just under $20,000.
The total business class bill was $176,926.
Business class travel is only approved for flights lasting 10 hours or more.
Corrections spent $74,982 flying nine people from overseas for job recruitment purposes.
Business information and planning general manager John Bole said the department spent $293,242 transporting prisoners on commercial carriers, but it was working to reduce the costs of prisoner air transfers.
"This has resulted in a more efficient charter service being implemented."
Domestic travel is taken for a variety of reasons - including staff training, secondment, project management, prisoner escort and staff management - while international flights are usually granted for conferences and training, policy and project development and overseas recruitment.
Mr Bole hinted domestic travel figures may rise because of Government initiatives that have increased the number of new recruits into both Prison Services and Community Probation and Psychological Services.
"This has resulted in an increase in staff training-related air travel costs as these staff undertake required training."
Other destinations where department staff flew business class included Geneva (one trip costing $8367), Hong Kong (two trips, $13,151), Chicago (one trip, $5249), Perth (one trip, $3508), Singapore (two trips, $11,378), Prague (four trips, $36,909) and one trip to the Canadian city of Vancouver that cost the taxpayer $3589.
All the department's travel arrangements are handled by New Zealand-based travel management company Orbit Corporate Travel, which successfully tendered for the job.
