Live: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks from Upper Hutt

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to speak to media from Upper Hutt following an expected announcement relating to construction.

It comes amid revelations core government departments were still hiring at a considerable clip late last year, even as a new Government took the reins, promising to reduce their ranks.

Luxon is appearing in Upper Hutt today alongside Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk for an announcement.

He is expected to speak to media about 9.30am.

This morning, the Herald reported new data from the Public Service Commission (PSC) that showed full-time equivalent staff increased by 4.1 per cent, and reached an all-time high of 65,699 full-time equivalent positions (FTEs) across the public service in the six months to December 31.

The figures suggested that agencies responded to the previous Government’s belated efforts at trimming public service spending – starting around mid-2023 – by cutting outside contractors and consultants, while continuing to expand hiring into their own ranks.

A spokesman for the PSC said the workforce increase through the second half of 2023 reflects the work programmes and priorities of the previous Government: “numbers are expected to drop in line with the Government’s savings and efficiency drive and as Budget 24 decisions start to flow through.”

The new National-led Coalition Government has promised to cut annual public service spending by 6.5 to 7.5 per cent, the fine detail of which is up to the public service bosses, according to Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who is also Minister for the Public Service.

Willis hadn’t responded to the Herald’s questions about the latest PSC data.

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.