Budget 2026: Government should have gone ‘harder, sooner’ on cuts, Steven Joyce says

Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce has urged the government to implement public sector cuts more decisively and sooner. Joyce, who held key ministerial positions including finance, infrastructure, and economic development under Prime Ministers John Key and Bill English, stated that core public servant numbers have risen from 49,000 to 64,000 since 2017.

Joyce believes that the current National-led government should have taken more aggressive action to reduce the size of the public service. He suggested that the government's ability to enact such measures might be hampered by its coalition arrangements, implying that political compromises are limiting the scope of potential cuts.

His comments come as the government faces ongoing discussions about fiscal management and public spending. Joyce's perspective highlights a debate within political circles regarding the optimal size and efficiency of the public sector, and the political will required to implement significant reforms.

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Core public servant numbers had risen from 49,000 to 64,000 since 2017