The event has come in for media criticism, where it was compared to a smaller-scale $25,000 Commerce Commission staff development event.

About 160 staff and members of the board attended the FMA event at the Crowne Plaze in Auckland. The final bill came in at just under $95,000, including venue hire, food, drinks and airfaires. Speakers and facilitators cost $18,000 and the media panel were given bottles of wine.

A spokesman said it was the first conference since September 2014 and many new members of staff had joined the FMA since that time. He said the FMA was a big organisation and there was a cost associated with flying 60 members of staff up from Wellington.

Fred Dodds, chief executive of the IFA, said $100,000 was not a lot to spend on a conference for 160 people.  He said it was likely many government departments would spend more than that.

"Criticism from the adviser world would be silly. It boils down to what it costs to fly people there and if you fly 60 staff, that would cost $20,000, then there's $150 each for food and drink, and speakers. It's not like they spent $100,000 on booze."

Adviser Murray Weatherston agreed. He said if speakers were paid to present to the conference, the bill would quickly add up.

"I know what it costs to put on a SiFA conference and if we paid speakers our cost would be much greater. It doesn't seem exorbitant to me."

The event came in $15,000 under budget.

The FMA will spend $285,000 on staff training in the 2016/17 financial year.