Significant accounting policies
Revenue
Revenue is measured at the fair value of consideration
received or receivable.
Revenue from the Crown
The Commission is primarily funded through revenue
received from the Ministry of Justice for the provision
of outputs set out in the Output Agreement signed by
the Chief Commissioner and the Minister of Justice.
Revenue from the Crown is recognised as revenue
when earned and is reported in the financial period to
which it relates.
Other income
Other income is received from the supply of contract
work; grants for specific activities; and the provision
of advice and educational workshops to third parties.
Other income is recognised at the time the product
or service is provided to the client or, in the case of
grant income, when the conditions of the grant have
been met.
Leases
Finance leases
A finance lease is a lease that transfers to the lessee
substantially all of the risks and rewards incidental
to ownership of an asset whether or not title is
eventually transferred.
At the commencement of the lease term, finance
leases are recognised as assets and liabilities in the
statement of financial position at the lower of the fair
value of the leased item or the present value of the
minimum lease payments.
The finance charge is charged to the surplus or deficit
in the statement of comprehensive income over the
lease period so as to produce a constant periodic rate
of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.
The amount recognised as an asset is depreciated
over its useful life. If there is no certainty as to
whether the Commission will obtain ownership at the
end of the lease term, the asset is fully depreciated
over the shorter of the lease term and its useful life.
Interest
Operating leases
Interest income is recognised using the effective
interest method. Interest income on an impaired
financial asset is recognised using the original
effective interest rate.
An operating lease is a lease that does not transfer
substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to
ownership of an asset. Lease payments under an
operating lease are recognised as an expense on
a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Project costs
Costs that are directly attributable to a project activity
are reported in the statement of comprehensive
income as project expenditure. This includes the cost
of staff travel where the primary purpose of the travel
relates to the project activity.
Grant expenditure
Discretionary grants are those grants where the
Commission has no obligation to award on the
receipt of a grant application and are recognised as
expenditure when approved by the Commission and
the approval has been communicated to the applicant.
Lease incentives received are recognised in the
surplus or deficit in the statement of comprehensive
income over the lease term as an integral part of the
total lease expense.
Foreign currency transactions
Foreign currency transactions are translated into
New Zealand dollars using the exchange rates
prevailing at the dates of the transactions.
Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from
the settlement of such transactions and from the
translation at year end exchange rates of monetary
assets and liabilities denominated in foreign
currencies are recognised in the surplus or deficit
in the statement of comprehensive income.
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