 This study examined the quality of reporting on spending related to external consultants and contractors in New Zealand's 20 District Health Boards, DHBs. The study found that spending had increased over time but the quality of reporting had decreased. The study identified several key areas where improvements could be made, including inconsistencies in reporting requirements from the Health Select Committee and discrepancies between reported figures and those obtained through official information requests. These findings suggest that there is room for improvement in the quality of reporting on external consultant and contractor expenditure in New Zealand's DHBs. This article was authored by Adeel Akmal, Robin Gowld, and Aaron Peno.