New Zealand’s Health Department to Slash Backroom Roles to Fund Tax Plan

Around 270 back office positions within New Zealand’s public health sector will be disestablished as part of the government’s efforts to claw back 6.5 percent in cost savings to fund their greater tax relief program. Prime Minister Chris Luxon told reporters on April 2 that the government wants “medical doctors, not more spin doctors,” referencing the impending cuts that will affect administrative positions within the Ministry of Health. The National Party campaigned strongly, along with coalition partner ACT, on the need to trim the fat on a “bloated” public sector they said was riddled with unnecessary bureaucracy, and an over-reliance on contracted consultants who cost taxpayers $400 million in 2022....