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Which AI vendors, products, or platforms are expected to be procured, expanded, or relied upon as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any; what is the forecast contract value of each, in which countries will the underlying data be processed and stored, and what conditions, if any, have been placed on the offshore transfer or use of New Zealanders' personal information, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible, if any? and 43 other questions

Answered 44 questions (2026)
Questions published
Reply lodged

Asked by

Camilla Belich

List MP · Labour Party

Questions

  • 21075

    Which AI vendors, products, or platforms are expected to be procured, expanded, or relied upon as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any; what is the forecast contract value of each, in which countries will the underlying data be processed and stored, and what conditions, if any, have been placed on the offshore transfer or use of New Zealanders' personal information, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible, if any?

  • 21080

    What evidence base, including any business cases, pilot results, productivity studies, benchmark data, or independent advice, was relied upon in determining that AI could absorb the workload of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for and deliver the forecast savings, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible, if any?

  • 21083

    Has any (a) algorithmic impact assessment, (b) Privacy Impact Assessment, (c) Treaty of Waitangi impact assessment, or (d) Health and Safety at Work Act psychosocial risk assessment been completed in respect of the AI tools being deployed as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any; has each affected agency confirmed alignment with the Public Service AI Framework and the OECD AI Principles, and if so, will the Minister table or release each such assessment, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 21085

    What is the total forecast spend on (a) AI software licences and subscriptions, (b) AI-related cloud and compute infrastructure, (c) AI implementation consultants and systems integrators, (d) AI-related staff training and change management, and (e) AI assurance, audit, and human-oversight activities in each of (i) 2025/26, (ii) 2026/27, (iii) 2027/28, and (iv) 2028/29 as a consequence of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, and how does that forecast spend net against the forecast workforce savings, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible, if any?

  • 21090

    How many, if any, of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, will have any of their functions or tasks performed, in whole or in part, by artificial intelligence (AI) tools or systems; what specific functions or tasks are expected to be performed by AI, and what is the forecast productivity gain assumed for each, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible, if any?

  • 21472

    For entities being abolished or merged as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, has the Minister received advice that the functions could be performed more cost-effectively if the entity were retained; if so, will the Minister release that advice, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

Show the remaining 38 questions
  • 21477

    For entities being abolished or merged as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, what is the forecast one-off cost of abolition or merger, including disestablishment, transition, legal and IT costs, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 21480

    For entities being abolished or merged as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, which functions will (a) cease entirely, (b) transfer to another entity, or (c) be performed by a non-government entity, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 21493

    For entities being abolished or merged as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, what was the total appropriation in 2024/25, if anything, and what is the forecast total cost of the functions that will continue after abolition or merger, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 21502

    Has any psychosocial risk assessment been conducted in respect of the restructure being undertaken as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, under Health and Safety at Work Act obligations, if any, if so, what were its findings, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 21840

    How does the role reduction being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for compare, as a proportion of workforce, across the portfolio, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 21850

    What proportion of the current workforce does the role reduction being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for represent, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 21859

    How many staff affected by savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for are being offered redeployment to other roles within the same entity or elsewhere in the public service, if any, and what is the forecast take-up rate, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 21860

    What support, including outplacement, retraining, and mental health support, if any, is being made available to staff affected by savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, and at what cost, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 21880

    How many of the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, will be achieved by (a) voluntary redundancy, (b) involuntary redundancy, (c) non-replacement of attrition, (d) non-renewal of fixed-term contracts, and (e) disestablishment of vacancies, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22195

    What is the total forecast cost of restructures being undertaken as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, including (a) redundancy payments, (b) outplacement support, (c) change-management consultants, (d) legal advice, (e) IT and accommodation changes, and (f) communications, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22204

    Have any functions been transferred to another entity as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any; if so, has the receiving entity been given any additional baseline funding, and how much, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22217

    What, if anything, is the forecast contractor and consultant spend in each of the next four financial years as a consequence of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, by category of spend, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22218

    What, if anything, is the average daily rate paid for external consultants and contractors, and how does this compare to the equivalent daily cost of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22235

    Will any work previously undertaken by roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, be performed by (a) external consultants, (b) contractors, (c) labour-hire staff, (d) another entity, or (e) a non-government provider; if so, which work and which provider type, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22601

    Will any obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including obligations under Treaty settlement legislation, be affected by the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, and have iwi, hapū, or Māori partners been consulted; if so, when and how, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22620

    Has the Minister been advised of any risks to the health, safety or wellbeing of New Zealanders arising from the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, and if so, what are those risks, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22899

    What is the forecast change in (a) processing times, (b) wait times, (c) call-answer times, and (d) complaint resolution times for services provided in the 12 months following the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22954

    Which specific functions, services, programmes or work streams, if any, will be reduced, ceased, or transferred elsewhere as a consequence of the role disestablishments being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22960

    Which statutory functions, if any, are affected by the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, and has the Minister received legal advice as to whether each entity will continue to be able to discharge those functions; if so, will the Minister table that advice, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22973

    Which statutory functions, if any, are affected by the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, and has the Minister received legal advice as to whether each entity will continue to be able to discharge those functions; broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 22978

    Which specific functions, services, programmes or work streams will be reduced, ceased, or transferred elsewhere as a consequence of the role disestablishments being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23248

    What is the forecast impact, if any, of the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, on the gender pay gap and the ethnic pay gap, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23311

    Has any equity impact assessment, gender impact assessment, or Treaty of Waitangi impact assessment been completed in respect of the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, and if so, will the Minister table or release each such assessment, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23326

    How many, if any of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, are held by employees who have self-identified as having a disability, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23332

    What is the geographic and regional distribution of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by city or region and by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23339

    What is the age-band breakdown of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23354

    What is the ethnicity breakdown (Māori, Pacific peoples, Asian, European, Middle Eastern, Latin American, African, Other) of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, compared to the ethnic composition of each workforce as a whole, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23613

    What is the gender breakdown of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, compared to the gender composition of each workforce as a whole, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23673

    What is the forecast change in spending, if any, on (a) external consultants, (b) contractors, and (c) temporary or labour-hire staff in each of the next four financial years as a consequence of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23689

    What is the total forecast cost of redundancy and severance payments, if any, associated with the role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, and what is the average payment per affected employee, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23699

    What is the distribution of roles, if any, being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, across salary bands in $20,000 increments (e.g. $60,000–$79,999, $80,000–$99,999, etc.), broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23709

    What is the (a) mean, (b) median, (c) 25th percentile, and (d) 75th percentile salary of the roles, if any, being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23722

    What is the total annual salary cost (including employer KiwiSaver contributions and ACC levies) of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 23981

    How many, if any, of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, are classified as (a) frontline, (b) frontline-enabling, and (c) back-office, and what definition is being used to classify each category, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 24038

    Will the Minister provide a list of every role title being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, the number of FTE associated with each role title, and the tier (Tier 1, 2, 3, 4, or non-management) of each role, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 24041

    How many FTE positions, if any, are expected to be disestablished across the agencies, departments and other entities for which the Minister is responsible as a result of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 24049

    Of the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, how many were (a) filled by a permanent employee, (b) filled by a fixed-term employee, (c) filled by a secondee, and (d) vacant at the time the disestablishment decision was made, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

  • 24057

    How many roles, if any, expressed as both (a) full-time equivalents and (b) headcount, are being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, and over what period will those reductions take effect, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?

Answered by

Hon Chris Bishop

Member for Hutt South · National Party · Minister for Infrastructure

Answer

As part of Budget 26, Cabinet has agreed to a programme of reform aimed at transforming the public service to streamline how it is organised, accelerate digital transformation, strengthen leadership and talent and improve efficiency and productivity. Specific decisions on how these reforms will be achieved by agencies have not yet been made. Ministers have asked Chief Executives to work through what this means for their organisations.