New Zealand Taxpayers' Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says:

"Earlier in the month, we wrote to the State Services Commissioner and all major state sector agencies, including councils, recommending that 'public service' pay cuts be extended to the wider public sector, and be accompanied with a pay freeze for non-frontline workers."

"This evening the State Services Commissioner replied to say he has written to public service agencies and non-public service entities recommending that they cut CEO pay and freeze pay for employees earning more than $100,000, with 'nil or minimal pay increases' for those under $100,000."

"We're delighted to see the Commissioner add his weight to our campaign. The saving for taxpayers will now be far greater than that of the Prime Minister's initial, limited measure, which only affected a select group of CEOs from a select group of agencies."

"We'll be examining the exact scope of today's recommendations more closely. For example, we suggested staff reporting directly to CEOs should also be subject to pay cuts, and we'd like to see these measures apply to state-owned enterprises like KiwiRail too."

"Finally, while the State Services Commissioner does not have authority over local councils, the signal for town clerks could not be clearer. If they fail to cut their cloth, they will mark themselves as the most greedy class of bureaucrats. The Taxpayers' Union will be naming and shaming councils that fail to share the economic burden of COVID-19."

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