National Party spokesman Simeon Brown says there has been a 40 per cent increase in gang membership since 2017. Photo / Brett Phibbs
National Party spokesman Simeon Brown says there has been a 40 per cent increase in gang membership since 2017. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Opinion
OPINION
Chris Hipkins' attempt to positively spin the enormous growth of the public sector since 2017 (NZ Herald, May 9) was certainly a head-scratcher.
The Public Service Minister described it as a story of "innovation, flexibility and better service". You'd certainly hope so, given that we are now footing anextra $1.7 billion to pay the salaries of a public service that is 28.6 per cent larger than it was in 2017.
People working in the public service play an important role, however, any increase in staff numbers must have a direct benefit on outcomes for Kiwis.
So what value are we getting for our extra $1.7 billion? Unfortunately, despite the massive spend-up, many key outcomes are getting worse.
Crime: Since 2017, there has been a 40 per cent increase in gang membership and a 21 per cent increase in violent crime. Ram-raids are appearing in headlines on an almost daily bases.
Housing: Since 2017, the state housing waiting list has quadrupled, with an extra 21,000 people now on the list.
Education: Despite spending an extra $5 billion a year on education, 40 per cent of children are not going to school regularly. The number of chronically absent students from school has surged by 50 per cent under Labour.
Health: In October 2017, 954 people were waiting more than four months for a first specialist assessment. Come February 2020, before Covid-19 hit New Zealand, this had ballooned to 14,787. The Government just announced a "task force" on this issue. This is, of course, only so they can appear to be making an announcement.
Mental health: Despite $1.9 billion allocated to mental health, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission says that there have been no material improvements in mental health outcomes, with little change in access or wait times.
When Chris Hipkins removed the cap on staff numbers in the public service in 2018, he said this was so that the Government could increase in-house capability and not have to spend as much on consultants.
Simeon Brown. Photo / Mark Mitchell, File
But the reality is that spending on consultants has gone up in addition to the number of public servants. In 2017, $550 million was spent on consultants but, in 2020, it had risen to $968 million.
Spending more doesn't necessarily lead to better outcomes. As an example, just look at Let's Get Wellington Moving. Since its inception, $35 million has gone to consultants but this has resulted in a meagre $253,000 in construction.
At the end of the day, the quality of the spending is more important than the quantity.
It's a pity that the Labour Government scrapped National's public service targets, resulting in a public service that is bloated and less accountable for the outcomes they preside over.
