Source: PSA
The PSA is calling on NZDF and the Government to ensure that civilian workers who are the backbone of Defence get pay increases as a result of today’s pre-Budget announcement.
Civilian personnel who are members of the PSA have been in bargaining with the New Zealand Defence Force since December 2025 with no real progress on pay.
The announcement has confirmed remuneration adjustments as one of four Defence budget priorities for 2026 – alongside maritime security maintenance, housing, training, and alignment with industry – the PSA expects immediate meaningful progress at the bargaining table.
“New Zealand needs a well-resourced Defence Force, and this commitment is important, but civilian staff can’t be forgotten,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“Ships, aircraft and equipment don’t maintain themselves. Civilian workers are the backbone of the Defence Force. They are the engineers, IT specialists, logistics staff, tradespeople and security personnel who keep our military operational and ready. The investment in Defence must include fair pay for these workers.
“The Defence Force has been explicit that the principles underpinning its remuneration priority include equity for civilian and military personnel and lifting base pay rates. We will hold them to that.
“Many of our members work in technical and trade roles alongside contractors who are paid at market rates significantly higher than what NZDF pays its own civilian staff. That gap has to close if Defence wants to recruit and retain the skilled workforce it needs to be fit to face our security challenges.
“Civilian workers have been hard done by in recent years. Less than two years ago they were insulted with a zero percent pay offer. They had to fight for eight months and take sustained strike action just to win a small pay rise.
“The Government’s response to that dispute was not to address the root cause of inadequate pay, but to pass the Defence (Workforce) Amendment Act making it easier for Defence to use military personnel to replace striking civilians and to change the law to enable employers to deduct pay for partial strike action. These laws undermine the ability of civilian workers to bargain fairly for the pay they deserve.
“On top of that, hundreds of civilian jobs have been cut. The Defence Force cannot keep hollowing out its civilian workforce and expect to deliver on the ambitions outlined in today’s announcement.
“There are no more excuses for delaying bargaining. Our members expect an immediate fair pay offer that reflects the essential role they play, cost of living pressures and one that genuinely aligns civilian pay with the market.
“The proof of the Government’s commitment to Defence won’t just be in the hardware it buys. It will be in how it treats the people who make it all work.”
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.