Where does your tax money actually go when the government needs something done?

The answer sits in 25,054 tenders published on the government procurement site. And if you're not in Auckland or Canterbury, you might not like what the numbers show.

Auckland accounts for 2,938 tenders. more than any other region. Canterbury sits second at 2,574. Together, those two regions capture more than a fifth of all government contracts advertised. (Source: MBIE, procurement)

Wellington, where most government agencies actually sit, comes third at 2,047 tenders. Then the numbers drop fast. Waikato: 1,770. Otago: 1,765. By the time you reach Northland, you're down to 1,111 tenders. less than 40% of what Auckland gets.

This isn't just about volume. It's about where government money flows when agencies need roads built, IT systems installed, or buildings maintained. The pattern is stark: if you're a contractor in Auckland or Christchurch, you see opportunity. If you're in Gisborne or the West Coast, you barely see the work.

Some of this makes economic sense. Auckland has more people, more infrastructure, more government assets that need maintaining. Canterbury is rebuilding after earthquakes, upgrading hospitals, expanding airports.

But 3,011 tenders are listed as "New Zealand". meaning they're national contracts that any region could theoretically bid for. Yet somehow, Auckland and Canterbury still dominate. That suggests the issue isn't just population. It's about who has the capacity to bid, who knows the procurement system, who can afford the compliance costs.

Smaller regions don't just lose out on contracts. They lose the jobs those contracts create, the expertise they build, the tax revenue they generate. When Wellington spends $2 million on a software upgrade and the contract goes to an Auckland firm, that money leaves the capital. When Invercargill needs a new bridge and the tender goes to Christchurch, Southland misses out twice.

The government talks endlessly about regional development. But procurement data shows where the money actually goes. And it goes to the same two regions, over and over.

Every one of these 25,000 tenders is public. Every agency is supposed to advertise openly, assess fairly, award transparently. The system is designed to be neutral.

The results are anything but.