Inspection of Embassy Wellington and Constituent Post, New Zealand, Cook Islands, and Niue

What OIG Inspected 

OIG inspected the executive direction, policy and program implementation, resource management, and information management operations of Embassy Wellington. This inspection included Consulate General Auckland.  

What OIG Found

• Mission New Zealand’s Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, and acting Deputy Chief of Mission generally complied with Department of State standards for tone at the top and standards of conduct, execution of foreign policy goals and objectives, adherence to internal management controls, security and emergency planning, and equal employment opportunity. The Front Office emphasized professionalism in the workplace and fostered employee resiliency.
• The delineation of Embassy Wellington’s responsibilities for the U.S. Antarctic Program was unclear. Specifically, mission staff did not have clarity on who was responsible for emergency response and assistance, and law enforcement or security support if a disaster or crime occurs involving U.S. citizens in the Antarctic region.
• The mission had deficiencies related to public diplomacy, consular, resource management, and information management operations.  

What OIG Recommends

 OIG made 19 recommendations to Embassy Wellington. In its comments on the draft report, the embassy concurred with all 19 recommendations. OIG considers all 19 recommendations resolved. The embassy’s formal response is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix B.