7367 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage

7367 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage: What process, if any, was employed by the Minister’s departments, ministries and agencies to brief the Minister on savings and their impact on services and functions?

Hon Paul Goldsmith: Cabinet has agreed to establish a multi-year programme aimed at embedding a culture of expenditure restraint and fiscal discipline across the public sector. This programme will focus on generating sufficient reprioritisation, savings and revenue (or cost recovery where appropriate) to fund the Government’s priorities and deliver enduring improvements in the operating balance. A savings target of 7.5 percent was proposed across Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage. Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage have provided me with written briefings and verbal updates as they progressed through the savings proposals work with all entities funded by the Vote. As with all agencies, savings proposals were considered as part of Budget 2024 decision-making and final decisions will be announced on 30 May. Until then, this information remains Budget sensitive. The advice underpinning them will be released publicly via proactive release in the weeks after Budget Day.