The issues highlighted in a rapid review of the Ministry
of Justice released today are a damming indictment of the
coalition Government’s cuts to public services, the PSA
says.
Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here
Tikanga Mahi National Secretary Duane Leo said a clear,
repeated theme in the review was that a lack of Government
funding and reducing staff numbers in the face of rising
workloads was impacting on the Ministry’s
work.
“This review paints a damning picture of the
true effects of the Government’s indiscriminate cuts to
essential public services. It is a clear wake up call to the
Government that the reckless cutting of funding jobs and
funding is harming a Ministry that plays a key role in the
justice system that keeps New Zealanders safe.
“The
review says the growth and complexity of court and tribunal
cases is growing at a time when ‘workforce constraints are
real and the tight fiscal environment has taken a toll’,”
Leo said.
“The review illustrates the inadequacy of
the Government’s mantra of do more with less. It says the
clearest example of how the operational capability of the
Ministry is under ‘significant and sustained’ pressure
is in the District Courts. Judges and Court staff have
focused on working harder and improving efficiency,” Leo
said.
“Both are now beyond what can be tolerated or
sustained. There is a real issue with both staff and
judicial welfare,” the review said.
The reviews
identification of inadequate resourcing is echoed by PSA
members working in the Ministry in their submission to the
review panel.
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“Headcount reductions though change
management, attrition and vacancy lag and non-replacement
have increased workloads,” the members’ submission to the
review panel said.
The submission said a March 2026
PSA survey found 63% of respondents working at the Ministry
thought it was not adequately staffed, against 17% who
believed it was.
The submission said members described
“increasing workloads, burnout and extended hours” across
operational and corporate parts of the
Ministry.
“These pressures affect wellbeing,
retention, service quality, and organisational resilience,”
the submission said.
“It couldn’t be clearer. This
review shows how badly flawed has been the Government’s
management of public services over the past three years. The
only question is how many workers in other Government
agencies are also labouring under similar burdens, and how
this is impacting on the vital public services New Zealander
rely on.
“That’s why the PSA is calling for a public
good test to be applied to all cuts to public services,”
Leo
said.
