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August 29, 2025 2 mins

It is with real enthusiasm that I see the Public Service Commissioner potentially doing what the main Government should have done two years ago. 

What the Government did two years ago was say they were going to rectify the absurd size of the public service. 

It had blown out to gargantuan proportions under the Labour Government, who knew no bounds in terms of fiscal largesse based on debt. 

What the new Government actually did with the public service, sadly, was tinker. 

It peaked at a bit over 65,000 and it sits at over 63,000. In fact in the ensuing period, it's gone up again. 

So rough math will tell you they got rid of about 2,000 jobs. As a raw number it's a lot of jobs. A percentage it's tiny. 

As an effective exercise in efficiency and savings, it's a joke. 

The shame of it was the new Government of the day had licence. Yes, it was controversial. Yes, the unions bleated and moaned. Yes, the media went to town on a Tory slash-and-burn exercise. 

But the trick was always simple – if you're going to dish out the bad news go hard, DOGE it, blow it up, do it once and do it properly. 

The fall out, headlines, and anger will be exactly the same whether you trim a couple of thousand for no effect or 6,500 and make a difference. 

So they blew it. They took the heat but got few, if any, results. In an odd way it’s symbolic of the weaker parts of this Government; the ideas, rhetoric, and execution are never quite aligning. 

But now the Commissioner Brian Roache looks to be having another crack by merging departments. The Ministries of Women, Pacific peoples, disabled peoples, and Māori Development could all be in for an upending. 

I'd go further. The never-ending series of commissioners and their offices that have no actual power and really only write reports would not be missed. 

But ministries for ministries sake is what holds this country back. They all fill a space to meet their budget and so-called mandate. 

If this is on, and I pray it is, wait for the bleating. Every one of them will tell you the critical nature of their existence but I defy anyone of you to list me the profound and productive change they have made to all our lives. 

Given you can't they then fall into the category as largesse, waste and tokenism. 

Do it once and do it right. That's how change should happen. 

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I can tell you this for nothing. It's with real enthusiasm.
I see that the Public Service Commissioner Brown wrote potentially
doing what the main government should have done two years ago.
What the government did two years ago was say they
were going to rectify the absurd size of the public service.
Remember that it had blown out to gargantuine proportions under
the labor government, who knew no bounds in terms of
fiscal largest based on debt. What sadly actually the new

(00:23):
government did with the public service was tinker. It peaked
at a bit over sixty five thousand, It now sits
this morning at a bit over sixty three thousand, and
has in fact, in the ensuing period gone up again.
So rough math, they will tell you they got rid
of about two thousand people. Now, as a raw number,
that's a lot of jobs. As a percentage though it's tiny,
and as an effective exercise and efficiency and savings, it's

(00:45):
a joke. The shame of it was the new government
of the day had license. Of course, Yes it was controversial,
Yes the union's bleated and moaned, and yes the media
went to town on a Tory slash and boone exercise.
All that predictable nonsense. But the trick was always simple.
If you're going to dish out the bad news, oh hard,
doze it, blow it up, do it once, do it properly. Now,
the fallout, the headlines, the anger will be exactly the

(01:06):
same whether you're trim a couple of thousand for no
effect or six and a half thousand, say and make
a difference. So they blew it. They took the heat
but got few of any results. In an odd way,
if you think about it, it's symbolic of the weaker
parts of this government at the moment. Lots of ideas,
lots of rhetoric and execution they never quite aligne. But
now the Commissioner Brian Roach looks to be having another
crack by merging departments. Ministries of Women, Pacific, People's Disabled,

(01:30):
People's married Development could all be in for an up ending.
I'd go further personally, the never ending series of commissioners
and their officers that have got no actual power and
really only right reports. They'd not be missed. But the ministries,
for ministry's sake, is what holds this country back. They
will all fill a space to meet their budget. Of course,
they will so called mandate. If this is on, and
I pray it is, wait for the bleating. Every one

(01:53):
of them will tell you the critical nature of their existence,
but I defy any one of you to list me
the profound and productive change that they have made to
any one of our lives. And given you count, then
they fall into the category of largess, waste and tokenism.
Do it once, do it right. That's how change should happen.

(02:13):
For more from The Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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