Government ‘must Front Up’ On Plans For Ministries
Women, Māori, Pacific Peoples, and disabled people fought hard for a voice in government decision-making; their Ministries must not be taken away by a government struggling with a fiscal hole of its own making, says Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi national secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons.
“From the Ministry of Women, in 1984, through to Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, in 2022, each of these Ministries has only been established following a long fight by their respective communities for a voice in government.
“These standalone Ministries provide vital free and frank advice to the Government on the impact policies have on groups that can, otherwise, be overlooked.
“It is not good enough for the Government to avoid questions on its plans for these Ministries and try to hide behind the Public Service Commissioner. It is well-known that ACT wants to close them down. David Seymour even said he would like to see the Ministry for Pacific Peoples blown up.
“Along with its gutting of pay equity and clamp-down on the use of te reo Māori in the public sphere, this move is part of this Government’s attacks on under-represented New Zealanders. The hardworking staff of these Ministries deserve better than to be used as part of the Government’s culture wars.
“These Ministries cost less than 0.1% of the Government’s annual budget. That’s a tiny fraction of the money this Government has wasted on tax cuts for landlords and the ferry fiasco. The voice of under-represented New Zealanders should not be cut off because the Government is in a fiscal hole of its own making,” says Fitzsimons.
https://www.psa.org.nz/news-media/government-must-front-up-on-plans-for-ministries