UPDATE 1-New Zealand plans to cut public service jobs to save NZ$2.4 billion
Published on: May 19, 2026, 7:15 a.m. | Source: Devdiscourse
New Zealand's government plans to cut thousands of public service jobs and avoid pre-election giveaways in this month's budget, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said on Tuesday, as the ruling centre-right coalition seeks to burnish its economic credentials ahead of a close-run November election. In a pre-budget speech to Business North Harbour, Willis said the government would reduce the core public service to no more than 55,000 full-time equivalent employees by July 2029, 8,700 fewer than in December last year.
