Business of Government: Christmas is cancelled, H2's new role, and more ...

You might think a bit of Christmas cheer would be in order, but there are Scrooges about. (Image: Getty)

Wed, 04 Oct 2023

Christmas cancelled?With the writing on the wall for the current government, this year’s Christmas season is shaping up to be a glum affair for public servants.That’s not to impugn their political neutrality, but despite some claims from politicians, few will be relishing the 6.5% baseline cuts the National party has proposed.At around $600 million per year, that’s nearly twice the scale of the cuts the previous National government embarked on in 2011, which did see a drop in the total number of public servants employed &ndash...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Markets Market Close

Ebos unwind pulls NZX 50 down 0.68%

Spark New Zealand rose 1.72% to $2.27.

Gregor Thompson 5:58pm

Primary Sector

a2 Milk execs sell over $6 million in shares

Chief executive David Bortolussi holds 1.52 million a2 Milk shares.

Graham Skellern 3:30pm

a2 Milk execs sell over $6 million in shares

Technology

'Don't build': Govt centralises IT procurement

More off-the-shelf solutions are likely under a new centralisation of IT procurement.

Dileepa Fonseka 3:00pm

'Don't build': Govt centralises IT procurement

Sponsored

AI agents: opportunity or graveyard? Spark’s five-point playbook for success

Artificial intelligence agents – autonomous digital entities that analyse data, automate decisions, and act independently – are set to drive a new wave of business transformation.

Spark Enterprise

Sponsored