Source: PSA
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi has criticised a new report calling for a sweeping reduction in the number of government agencies, saying it takes a simplistic approach.
Responding to the New Zealand Initiative’s report “Unscrambling Government”, PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the report overlooked the important New Zealand context behind why agencies exist.
“This report essentially argues that cutting the number of agencies will automatically lead to better outcomes for New Zealanders. That’s a simplistic view that ignores the complex reasons these agencies were established in the first place,” Fitzsimons said.
“The analysis misses the important reasons for agencies’ existence. Take the Cancer Control Agency, for example – it exists because cancer advocates fought for years for independent national leadership on cancer control. It provides crucial oversight and accountability that would be lost if merged back into a larger ministry.”
The report also proposes structural changes such as merging all population-focused agencies – including those serving women, Pacific peoples, ethnic communities and seniors – into a single entity, and combining the Police with the Ministry of Justice.
“These suggestions show how the authors have abstracted away crucial complexities to fit their predetermined conclusions. Merging all demographic agencies would dilute the specific expertise and advocacy these agencies provide for communities that have historically been underserved.
“Similarly, the proposal to merge Police with the Ministry of Justice would undermine police independence – a fundamental principle of our democracy.
“Royal Commissions examining government failures – from Pike River to the Christchurch earthquakes to the March 15 mosque attacks – have consistently recommended more resources and clearer accountability, not fewer agencies.
“Unlike Australia, New Zealand has no upper house and weak local government, meaning the central government has far more concentrated power. You can’t simply compare agency numbers across different countries with fundamentally different governmental structures,” Fitzsimons said.
“A radical overhaul would be particularly dangerous when agencies are already under pressure from the thousands of public service jobs that have been cut.”
