- Questions published
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Asked by
Camilla Belich
List MP · Labour Party
Questions
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21280
Question published
On what date, if at all, did the Minister first receive advice from the Government Chief Digital Officer, the Public Service Commissioner, the Privacy Commissioner, Treasury, or any other agency regarding the feasibility, cost, delivery risk, timeframes, and limitations of substituting AI tools for the roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, and what did that advice say, and will the Minister release it, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?
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21284
Question published
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?
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21285
Question published
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?
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21293
Question published
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?
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21299
Question published
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?
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21301
Question published
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?
Show the remaining 42 questions
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21660
Question published
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?
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21665
Question published
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?
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21669
Question published
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?
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21675
Question published
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?
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21685
Question published
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?
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21694
Question published
Has the Minister received any advice that role reductions being made as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, will worsen results in staff engagement, workplace wellbeing, sick leave, or turnover, and if so, what does that advice say, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?
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22023
Question published
Has the Minister sought or received advice on whether roles being disestablished as part of savings made in Budget 2026 for votes the Minister is responsible for, if any, will need to be re-hired within the next 24 months, and what is the cost forecast if so, broken down by agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible?
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22024
Question published
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?
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22039
Question published
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?
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22042
Question published
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?
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22046
Question published
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?
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22068
Question published
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?
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22382
Question published
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?
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22395
Question published
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?
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22402
Question published
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?
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22405
Question published
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?
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22421
Question published
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?
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22786
Question published
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?
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22803
Question published
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?
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23080
Question published
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?
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23135
Question published
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?
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23141
Question published
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?
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23165
Question published
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?
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23173
Question published
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?
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23436
Question published
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?
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23494
Question published
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?
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23511
Question published
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?
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23524
Question published
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?
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23526
Question published
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?
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23531
Question published
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?
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23807
Question published
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?
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23858
Question published
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?
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23877
Question published
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?
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23883
Question published
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?
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23890
Question published
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?
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23903
Question published
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?
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24149
Question published
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?
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24194
Question published
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?
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24200
Question published
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?
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24201
Question published
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?
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24210
Question published
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?
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24943
Question published
For each agency, department, Crown entity, company, or other organisation for which the Minister is responsible, what is the forecast payback period, in months, i.e. the time before the disestablishment of roles (if any) made as part of Budget 2026 savings for votes the Minister is responsible for delivers net Crown savings, after accounting for redundancy costs, change-management costs, and any consultancy or contractor costs?
Answered by
Hon James Meager
Member for Rangitata · National Party · Minister for Youth
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. This is also my response to WPQ 21280, 21285, 21293, 21301, 21299, 21660, 21665, 21669, 21675, 21685, 21694, 22023, 22024, 22039, 22042, 22046, 22068, 22382, 22395, 22402, 22405, 22421, 22786, 22803, 23080, 23135, 23141, 23165, 23173, 23436, 23494, 23511, 23524, 23526, 23531, 23807, 23858, 23877, 23883, 23890, 23903, 24149, 24194, 24200, 24201, 24210, 24943 (2026).