When I became the Commissioner of Te Tari Taake Inland Revenue in July 2022, I took on responsibility for a diverse and inclusive organisation which makes a significant contribution to New Zealanders' economic and social wellbeing every single day.
In the short time I have been with Inland Revenue, the dedication and enthusiasm our people have for this important mahi has really shone through.
As I've talked with our external stakeholders and partners, I have been encouraged to hear how the changes introduced during Inland Revenue's transformation are already creating positive outcomes for the individuals, businesses and organisations at the heart of the tax community and the partners we work with across government and overseas.
I have seen first-hand Inland Revenue's commitment to becoming a better partner in the Māori Crown relationship and providing better services for Māori customers. Through supporting our staff to develop their own capabilities and understanding of te ao Māori and te reo Māori, as well as doing work that provides better services for our Māori customers, I am confident that we are all on this important journey together.
This Annual Report shares Inland Revenue's many achievements and highlights over the last 12 months.
The past year has seen Inland Revenue complete the final changes of its multi-year business transformation programme, while also supporting the Government's COVID-19 response. The impact of COVID-19 has also been felt personally by our staff who have needed time to recover from the virus and support whānau to do so too.
This created a challenging environment for our people and our customers, with the extra demands from the COVID-19 work impacting our service levels at different times.
On 30 June 2022 the business transformation programme officially closed having been delivered on time and under budget. Through transformation it's now easier for customers to pay and receive the right amounts and they can do more for themselves through our online services. We have improved system resilience and can make policy changes faster. Inland Revenue is on track to save $100 million in administration costs every year.
I would like to acknowledge and thank former Commissioner Naomi Ferguson for her hard work and tenacity in successfully leading Inland Revenue over the past 10 years and creating a transformed organisation. This has laid a strong foundation we will build on over the coming years.
Looking ahead, it's an exciting time for us as we use our new tools, systems, data and analytics ability in different ways, to identify where we can make the biggest difference for New Zealanders. There will be a busy Government work programme to complete and we will continue to support the COVID-19 response as needed.
I am looking forward to leading Inland Revenue into this new post-business transformation era as we continue to make tax and social payments simpler, so everyone can contribute to making Aotearoa New Zealand a great place to live and work.
- Peter Mersi
- Commissioner of Inland Revenue | Kaikōmihana o Te Tari Taake