Financial commentary

This section of the annual report provides a commentary on MBIE’s 2022/23 financial results and a view of our forecast financial plans for 2023/24.

This commentary compares financial performance for the year with:

  • the previous financial year, 2021/22
  • the 2022/23 budget set in May 2022 as part of the Government’s Budget. This is referred to as Unaudited Budget
  • the 2023/24 budget set in May 2023 as part of the Government’s Budget. This is referred to as Unaudited Forecast

Information is also provided in this commentary on non-departmental operations, where MBIE administeractivities on behalf of the Crown.

2022/23 departmental results

MBIE’s 2022/23 departmental activities are funded through 55 appropriations across 3 votes. In 2022/23 our revenue was $1,340 million and our expenditure $1,198 million. Across all our departmental activities we have incurred a net surplus of $142 million (2022: $43 million surplus).

Crown revenue has decreased from the prior year, largely driven by the operations for Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) facilities ceasing with the change in border regulations. Third-party revenue has however increased mainly due to the re-opening of borders to the rest of the world and the increase in immigration services. The increase in third-party revenue in conjunction with the decrease in operating costs due to the disestablishment of the MIQ facilities has contributed to the year-to-date surplus of $142 million.

2022/23 operating results

The money we receive to fund our departmental operations

Chart showing the money we receive to fund our departmental operations. The majority of our funding comes from the Crown and from fees and levies charged to third parties for our services.

MBIE receives funding to deliver services and functions on behalf of the Government. The majority of our funding comes from the Crown and from fees and levies charged to third parties for our services.

  Actual
2019
$000
Actual
2020
$000
Actual
2021
$000
Actual
2022
$000
Actual
2023
$000
Unaudited
Budget
2023
$000
Unaudited
Forecasts
2024
$000
Crown revenue 404,190 461,548 735,937 897,618 835,434 942,720 747,173
Third-party revenue 408,472 408,399 287,965 387,474 490,748 404,366 459,481
Department revenue 25,502 16,696 16,696 18,807 13,961 23,793 24,106
Total revenue 838,164 886,643 1,043,861 1,303,899 1,340,143 1,370,879 1,230,760

In 2022/23 our total revenue was $36 million more than 2021/22, mainly due to the increase in immigration services with the borders fully re-opened to the rest of the world. Crown revenue was $62 million less than 2021/22 and $107 million less than the 2022/23 Budget. This is mainly driven by the disestablishment of MIQ facilities and the subsequent decrease in required Crown funding.

Third-party and department revenue was $98 million greater than 2021/22 and $77 million greater than the 2022/23 Budget. The increase from 2021/22 was due to the increase in immigration services as a result of the re-opening of the New Zealand border to the rest of the world and the subsequent increase in Visa application volumes.

Bar graph comparing revenue sources by year.

How we spent the funding we received for our departmental operations

Pie chart displaying how we spent the funding we received for our departmental operations. About 3 quarters of our total costs relate to personnel costs and IT services.

About 3 quarters of our total costs relate to personnel costs and IT services.

  Actual 2019 $000 Actual 2020 $000 Actual 2021 $000 Actual 2022 $000 Actual 2023 $000 Unaudited Budget 2023
$000
Unaudited Forecasts 2024
$000
Personnel costs 456,787 540,255 590,455 703,127 704,103 724,754 713,233
IT costs 115,806 136,590 142,902 166,243 190,358 192,253 192,253
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 50,490 54,822 86,116 75,720 60,503 53,215 61,751
Capital charge 16,580 20,418 23,258 23,216 27,971 26,478 30,964
Other operating costs 174,542 178,826 262,222 292,726 214,845 328,793 214,667
Total expenditure 814,205 930,911 1,104,953 1,261,032 1,197,780 1,325,493 1,212,868

In 2022/23 we spent $1,198 million as a department, $63 million less than 2021/22 and $128 million less than the 2022/23 Budget. This is mainly due to the costs associated with the closure of MIQ facilities. Personnel and IT costs make up most of our expenditure and have increased as a proportion of our total expenditure from last year driven by the labour market conditions. Depreciation, amortisation, and impairment is $15 million less than 2021/22 at $61 million, due to the impact from the prior year change in the accounting policy for Software-as a-Service (“SaaS”) arrangements.

The memorandum accounts we administer

  Actual
2019
$000
Actual
2020
$000
Actual
2021
$000
Actual
2022
$000
Actual
2023
$000
Unaudited
Budget
2023
$000
Unaudited
Forecasts
2024
$000
Immigration visa (65,123) (127,137) (79,226) (108,887) 48,663 (271,993) 12,765
Building controls 55,548 56,327 57,019 66,184 71,590 58,901 65,346
Registration and granting of intellectual property rights 31,181 30,060 28,762 26,510 22,809 15,272 15,193
Other memorandum accounts 45,645 32,806 36,800 25,450 37,267 (10,111) 10,718
Memorandum account balance at 30 June 67,251 (7,944) 43,355 9,257 180,329 (207,931) 104,022

Memorandum accounts record the cumulative surplus or deficit of MBIE services that are intended to be fully cost recovered from third parties through fees, levies or other charges. Memorandum accounts provide transparency around these services, and in the long term, the balance of each memorandum account is expected to trend towards zero.

In 2022/23 MBIE administered 14 (2021/22: 14) memorandum accounts.

The overall memorandum account balance at 30 June 2023 was a $180 million surplus (2021/22: $9 million surplus). This year’s surplus was mainly due to the $129 million capital injections in the immigration visa memorandum account to write off accumulated deficits and additional revenue of $74 million from the 2021/22 year which was reclassified from revenue in advance due to a change in accounting policy (please refer to Note 2 for further details). Immigration visa revenue has increased due to increasing demand for visa categories with the New Zealand border fully re-opened in August 2022.

The departmental assets we manage to support our operations

Pie chart displaying the departmental assets we manage to support our operations.

  Actual
2019
$000
Actual
2020
$000
Actual
2021
$000
Actual
2022
$000
Actual
2023
$000
Unaudited
Budget
2023
$000
Unaudited
Forecasts
2024
$000
Cash and cash equivalents 115,285 140,710 178,512 249,284 289,388 120,596 159,856
Property and equipment 110,977 134,941 139,475 147,396 156,091 147,154 137,050
Software assets 216,880 233,329 191,603 188,191 196,227 107,005 208,191
Other assets 111,480 83,362 237,287 345,769 333,964 387,287 332,255
Total assets 554,622 592,342 746,877 930,640 975,670 762,042 837,352
Capital expenditure 74,484 98,562 78,206 77,658 70,300 72,978 66,665

MBIE manages $976 million of departmental assets. Software assets and property and equipment represent over a third of our assets. Software assets are the systems used to support the operation of MBIE and the services provided. Most of the software is developed internally rather than purchased. Our property and equipment are the land, buildings, leasehold improvements, furniture and fittings, vehicles and computer hardware we use in our daily operations. Most of the other assets we control relate to debtors and other receivables due to us.

Cash and cash equivalents are $40 million higher than the prior year and $169 million higher than the 2022/23 Budget due to the timing of returning unused cash back to the Crown. This is reflected in other assets which is mainly due to Crown funding not yet drawn down. Due to holding sufficient cash, reductions in discretionary expenditure and timing of expenditure, less funds have been required to be drawn down.

The non-departmental revenue we received on behalf of the Crown

Pie chart displaying the non-departmental revenue we received on behalf of the Crown.

  Actual
2019
$000
Actual
2020
$000
Actual
2021
$000
Actual
2022
$000
Actual
2023
$000
Unaudited
Budget
2023
$000
Unaudited
Forecasts
2024
$000
Levies 459,719 374,444 348,155 434,069 501,056 451,937 491,438
Managed Isolation and Quarantine fees 123,812 72,658
Other revenue 357,188 300,965 273,435 434,016 321,120 261,277 293,586
Total non-departmental revenue 816,907 675,409 745,402 940,743 822,176 713,214 785,024

Non-departmental revenue for 2022/23 was $119 million less than 2021/22, mainly due to a one-off Criminal proceeds (recovery) receipt in the 2021/22 year. Revenue was $109 million greater than the 2022/23 Budget due to receiving more revenue from levies than expected. Revenue from the International visitor levy increased as a result of the re-opening of the New Zealand border. Revenue from other levies was also greater as the market recovered faster from the effects of the pandemic than anticipated.

The non-departmental expenditure we administer on behalf of the Crown

Pie chart displaying the non-departmental expenditure we administer on behalf of the Crown.

MBIE administers non-departmental activities on behalf of the Crown via 150 non-departmental appropriations. Funding is distributed to third parties, state-owned enterprises and Crown entities to support their operations and the grants they administer.

  Actual
2019
$000
Actual
2020
$000
Actual
2021
$000
Actual
2022
$000
Actual
2023
$000
Unaudited
Budget
2023
$000
Unaudited
Forecasts
2024
$000
Grants and operating expenses – Crown entities and state-owned enterprises 2,927,341 3,179,681 3,814,852 3,642,609 3,754,799 3,825,364 4,075,421
Grants – third parties 584,986 771,504 1,302,717 1,021,509 878,771 1,143,911 854,161
Other operating expenses 272,182 251,783 811,928 772,552 198,298 389,647 508,751
GST 501,378 586,383 822,527 800,909 726,569 723,454 814,851
Total non-departmental expenditure 4,285,887 4,789,351 6,752,024 6,237,579 5,558,437 6,082,376 6,253,184

Our non-departmental expenditure was $679 million lower than 2021/22 and $524 million lower than the 2022/23 Budget. The drop in expenditure from the prior year is largely driven by the closure of MIQ facilities and the winding down of its operations.