Labour has criticised the government for declining to exempt roles the party considers front-line services, including border security and child exploitation teams, from planned public service reductions.
The government plans to cut about 14% of public service positions over three years, with around 8700 job losses expected by mid-2029. The changes, announced last month, are projected to deliver $2.4 billion in savings.
Labour's public services spokesperson Camilla Belich said the positions in question address serious threats facing the country, and New Zealanders would worry about seeing those functions reduced or eliminated. "We're talking about people who work at our borders, we're talking about people who work online to tackle child exploitation, we're talking about biosecurity," Belich said.
Public Services Minister Paul Goldsmith dismissed the concerns as political point-scoring. During a scrutiny hearing last week, he declined to specify which front-line roles would be protected, saying he would not "have an endless argument about this person here and that person there".
The government has confirmed exemptions for police, teachers and nurses. Labour submitted written questions to ministers seeking clarity on other specific teams, but received no firm commitments beyond assurances the process was ongoing.
Customs Minister Casey Costello told Parliament her agency was reviewing the programme's implications when asked about Border Operations and Child Exploitation teams, though no positions have been cut following Budget 2026. Crown entities such as Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Maritime New Zealand will not face job cuts but must find 2% baseline savings this year and 5% next year.
Goldsmith said each department combines front-line services with back-office functions, and specific boundaries will be drawn within each agency. He said the government has detailed proposals but is relying on chief executives to implement them carefully.