Business of Government: Reports from the trenches, Buying Kiwi Made (again) and more

Ministers declared “peace in our time” but not on all fronts. (Image: NZME/Jacques Steenkamp)

Wed, 15 Oct 2025

Happy Xmas (War Is Over)From the frontlines in Wellington, Public Service Minister Judith Collins has declared the war on consultants and contractors is over.After two years of cuts, Collins said agencies had “over-delivered” on savings targets, reducing spending on external advice and services by $915m across the public sector — more than twice the $400m reduction promised when the coalition took office.With the ceasefire declared, Collins has set a new cap of $1.25 billion a year. She said the decrease from $2.16b to $1.25b...

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