Nicola Willis front foots public service job losses in meeting as fear looms of further cuts

Public Service Minister Nicola Willis addressed the elephant in the room, front-footing a discussion about her public service cuts when she met members of the union representing the public service at a meeting in Wellington today.

“Of course I mentioned it,” Willis said when asked whether she discussed the job losses with gathered Public Service Association members.

“I mentioned that upfront and specifically. I absolutely acknowledge the hard financial times that we are in have meant that people have lost their jobs and that is tough on them and tough on their families,” she said.

There had been concerns Willis would receive a frosty reception. Willis said she had seen someone who identified themselves as a PSA member joke on social media about pelting her with eggs.

Public Service Minister Nicola Willis met PSA union members today. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Willis justified the cuts, which some estimates have put at about 6000 jobs disestablished, on the fact the Government inherited a large fiscal deficit, although a large portion of the Government’s spending cuts were also used to pay for the Government’s tax plan.

“We have to live within our means. I am upfront about that. I am upfront about the task we see in front of us. Notwithstanding that, public servants will still play an important role in delivering on the Government’s objectives,” Willis said.

Willis and her colleague, Associate Finance Minister David Seymour, have said that the Government will continue to look for savings and try to fund new initiatives and cost increases in some departments, by cutting spending in other ones.

“What we’ve said is we really need to be disciplined about government spending for the next few years,” Willis said.

Willis and Public Service Association national secretary Kerry Davies did their best to keep things friendly and civil. The pair were cordial and Willis thanked Davies for having her when she was escorted from the meeting.

Davis did not share Willis’ view of the cuts, saying the Government needed to continue to invest in services. She described the meeting as “very sombre”.

She described the Government as “one of the most challenging governments they have had to work with”.

Davis had an ask of her own. She said Willis had been asked by members to rein in her colleagues’ “denigrating” language about public servants. She said all the leaders in the coalition had been accused of using such language. When asked for an example, she cited the term “bloated bureaucracy”.

“There was an ask of the minister to repair some of that damage and to speak up publicly in favour of the work that people do,” Davis said.

“She [Willis] said she had done that in the room and she will do that outside the room.”

Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.