My full email to the ODT responding to figures just released of DCC staff credit-card spending.

From: Lee Vandervis <lee@vandervision.co.nz>
Date: Tuesday, 31 March 2026 at 3:00 PM
To: Grant Miller <grant.miller@odt.co.nz>, Mayor <mayor@dcc.govt.nz>, Cherry Lucas <cherry.lucas@dcc.govt.nz>
Subject: Re: Local Government Official Information request – 1273766 – Sensitive Expenditure

Hi Grant,

The large variability of Credit Card Spending in some years compared to others especially in some categories suggests a range of poor value spending to me.

If “Gifts Prizes and Koha” can be $12,333 in 2019/20, but more than double that in several other years, this raises a question of what value is achieved by this spending.

Covid shutdowns might account for much variability in Personnel Costs and Travel Related Expenses but the pre-Covid 2019/20 travel cost of $582,065 is an excessive outlier that needs to be investigated along with other travel related millions spent over the last 6 years in my view.

Poor value, wholly inappropriate and fraudulent credit card spending in the past came to light repeatedly in my long investigations into DCC Citifleet manager Brent Bachop.

It became apparent that Mr Bachop had use access to more than one credit card. 

When I tried to find out how Mr Bachop had paid for expensive and obviously private use items and services, a very slow response from DCC accounts management showed a clean credit card that did not have the multi-source alleged spending I was looking for on it. 

Much later I learned that Mr Bachop also used another DCC credit card that facilitated an alarming range of personal and other fraudulent spending that some other staff must have been aware of.

I have again recently called for a better easy and confidential Whistleblower pathway to be highlighted on the DCC Website to encourage identification of inappropriate spending of public funds.

In looking again at DCC credit card use this year, I have been assured that no DCC staff member currently has access to more than one card, that these cards are all named, and that the number of credit cards held by staff is being reduced. 

My view is that staff costs generally,  and credit card costs and card numbers need to substantially reduce further, especially if we are to meet the Government target of no more than a 2% rates rise next year.

Cheers,

Lee