Roger Partridge: The austerity-proof public service

The pre-Christmas stoush between Finance Minister Nicola Willis and her 1990s predecessor Ruth Richardson has faded. The planned debate was cancelled.

But beneath the theatre lies a puzzle neither of them addressed. The Government has cut contractors, culled consultants, deferred capital projects. Yet one number – the one most directly within ministerial control – has barely shifted.

Dennis Wesselbaum: Willis warns of a ‘tight’ budget to come....

Willis warns of a ‘tight’ budget to come, but NZ should be going for productivity, not austerity

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has warned her 2025 “Growth Budget” will be “one of the tightest budgets in a decade”, with plans to reduce spending by billions.