Business of Government: Budgets: Past, present and future

Business of Government: Budgets: Past, present and future
The memories of past Finance Ministers and the colours of their Budgets linger on. (Image: NZME)
Ian Llewellyn
Raiding the piggy banks A notable feature of last week’s Budget that has not made major headlines yet is the number of funds that have been wound back or wound up.The Government spends approximately $5 billion annually on grants and funds; on average, $175 million is allocated for administration. These range from minnows set up to scratch political itches that people have long forgotten to major policy levers that no longer fit the Government’s priorities.As part of Budget 2025, the Government reviewed this spending to increase...

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A Treasury vision, IRD goes hunting for cash and more
Public sector Business of Government

A Treasury vision, IRD goes hunting for cash and more

Treasury pursues the distant horizon, IRD seeks the cold hard cash.

Robert Walters NZ reviews structure as govt temp cuts bite
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Robert Walters NZ reviews structure as govt temp cuts bite

Revenue collapsed 31% to $202.4m in 2024 after tripling between 2017 and 2023.

Gregor Thompson 09 Jun 2025
Axed public servants return as contractors
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Axed public servants return as contractors

Stand-down policies patchy or ignored as former staff return shortly after leaving. 

Cécile Meier 04 Jun 2025
ACC chair resigns ahead of reviews on operations
News in Brief

ACC chair resigns ahead of reviews on operations

Accident Compensation Corporation chair Tracy Batten has resigned as ministers look for a turnaround plan to deal with the challenges it faces.ACC Minister Scott Simpson said he had accepted the resignation and thanked Batten for her service since 2019.“ACC as an organisation is...

Ian Llewellyn 30 May 2025