The Government is still spending $10 million a month on contact tracing, despite the practice effectively ending months ago.
Most of it is going to two contracted telehealth companies, and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins insists they're busy, doing vital work.
"The staff who do contract tracing don't only do contact tracing, they've been supporting people with Covid-19 in the community," Hipkins said.
"The telehealth services are moving the workforces around to make sure that people are fully deployed so there's no one sitting there twiddling their thumbs."
However, one contact tracer told 1News that's not the case. She had no work for weeks and is now leaving the job.
"It made no sense to me that there's no real work but we'll continue to pay you," she said.
She said contact tracers know they're taking the mickey.
"They don't want to say anything because it's such a good thing that we've got going but they also feel incredibly guilty. It's basically free money that's just been thrown out," she said.
While it seems clear some contact tracers are indeed underemployed, the Government will keep the contact tracing contracts in place for the foreseeable future.
They say it's possible a new variant will arrive and we'll need to start tracing again.
But the ACT Party just doesn't see the point.
"Contact tracing didn't work before, it won't work for any future variants and they're still spending $10 million bucks on it it makes no sense. The Government is too cavalier with taxpayer's money," leader David Seymour said.
One of the funded telehealth providers - Whakarongorau - told 1News they were taking Covid healthline calls and making regular wellbeing checks.
They're about to part ways with 300 of their fixed-term staff, saying the work is drying up as the country has passed the Omicron peak.
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