“While the rest of New Zealand is tightening its belt amidst a cost of living crisis, bureaucrats have been getting taxpayer-funded pay rises left, right and centre – despite the Government supposedly banning them,” says ACT’s Leader David Seymour.

“The Government said there was a pay freeze for public servants earning six figures, but it’s been revealed that 2,670 public servants already earning more than 100k have received a pay increase since the policy was announced.

“Government spending is so out of control it can’t even stick to its own self-imposed restraints.

“The Government’s inability to reign in its spending is why inflation is skyrocketing and hardworking Kiwis are getting poorer by the day.

“Private sector employees have every reason to be furious. It’s one rule for Government employees and another for the people who pay for the Government.

“This is why we need to zero base Government. How many of those who collected a pay increase are even performing a public service? Many of them are likely zombie bureaucrats who carry on collecting a paycheque for their own purposes instead of any public purpose.

“Take the Ministry of Education for example, total spending on salaries at the Ministry has gone from $217 million to $366 million in just four years. Despite this, our literacy and numeracy rates have been trending downwards.

“Then consider Kainga Ora, they are the biggest offender for high income pay rises, but they are competing with the private sector for scarce workers. They are actually driving up prices in the construction industry in a bid to make houses cheaper. It’s nuts.

“It’s clear Government departments aren’t delivering better bang for our buck. They are not faster, the services aren’t better and they are not more transparent.

“ACT says we need to go back to zero and ask ourselves, if the departments and bureaucracies we have now didn’t exist, would we establish them today?

“If we asked the question, I suspect we would see many examples of departments that are costing taxpayers but not delivering anything that is of benefit to them.

“Hardworking New Zealanders are making the tough decisions to stay afloat. It’s time the Government supported them and did the same.”

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