The media have not helped. Radio NZ and others breathlessly report every minor restructuring with coverage that no private sector employer gets. The result is that the average member of the public thinks that the public service has been shrunk by a quarter. Curia asked in a May poll how many public servants are there today, telling them there were 65,000 at the change of government. The average answer was 50,000.
The correct answer is 63,000. If you want examples of misinformation, this is it.
Click to view
This chart tells such a story. Labour Governments love increasing public servant numbers. Not good at increasing outcomes in health or education, but great at hiring more public servants. The Clark Government increased the number of FTEs by 15,650 or 54%.
The Key/English Government did remarkably well in terms of restraint. A modest increase of 2,500 or 16% – less than population growth.
Then just six years of Ardern and Hipkins saw a huge 18,500 extra FTEs, which was a 39% increase.
Now give the Luxon Government credit. It is the only Government to have ever decreased the size of the public service. The Key/English Government flatlined it for a bit, but this Government has seen a decrease of around 2,500. That’s not nothing, but it is very modest being a 4% reduction. All that outcry and fuss that the world is ending, over a 4% reduction.
So basically the size of the public service in March 2025 is the same as June 2023, three months before the election.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders
The correct answer is 63,000. If you want examples of misinformation, this is it.
Click to view
This chart tells such a story. Labour Governments love increasing public servant numbers. Not good at increasing outcomes in health or education, but great at hiring more public servants. The Clark Government increased the number of FTEs by 15,650 or 54%.
The Key/English Government did remarkably well in terms of restraint. A modest increase of 2,500 or 16% – less than population growth.
Then just six years of Ardern and Hipkins saw a huge 18,500 extra FTEs, which was a 39% increase.
Now give the Luxon Government credit. It is the only Government to have ever decreased the size of the public service. The Key/English Government flatlined it for a bit, but this Government has seen a decrease of around 2,500. That’s not nothing, but it is very modest being a 4% reduction. All that outcry and fuss that the world is ending, over a 4% reduction.
So basically the size of the public service in March 2025 is the same as June 2023, three months before the election.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders
2 comments:
i wonder what the number would be if all pro maorification activity was ceased and staff reduced accordingly. the problem is their "skills" are mostly useless outside Aotearoa (NZ). Sign writers one exception.
This info is soon to be reported truthfully on news TV and published in all major news papers.
What? hang on a minute, its good news about the Govt, not allowed mate. Keep to the script will ya.
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