Public Service Minister Judith Collins is leading a legislative overhaul that would remove diversity and inclusion (DEI) requirements from the Public Service Act.
The proposed changes would no longer require chief executives to “promote” DEI or take it into account when hiring, replacing those provisions with a focus on “merit-based” appointments.
Collins argues that requiring the Public Service Commissioner to consider diversity when appointing top officials could “create tension” with the obligation to select the best candidate.
“We cannot be assured of getting the best candidates for each role,” she said.
Reappointments without open competition is another area of concern.
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters previously branded DEI targets as “woke social engineering,” and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has echoed that sentiment, saying the public service was “pretty woke” when the coalition took office.
The reforms deliver on a National–ACT coalition promise and reflect a wider effort to depoliticise the bureaucracy.
Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said, “Successive governments have sought to build a workforce that reflects the New Zealand population… [Collins] is wiping years of progress.”
The changes would also remove the legal obligation for agencies to consider pay equity and gender bias in remuneration decisions, though Collins says such goals could still be pursued through policy rather than law. A draft bill is expected to reach Cabinet in July.
Centrist Ltd.