30816 (2023). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Finance

30816 (2023). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Finance: Does the Minister intend to reduce public spending via expenditure reductions targets to be set for each agency, informed by the increase in back office head count at that agency since 2017, as outlined in the coalition agreement between National and ACT, and what advice, reports, briefings, aide memoires, or any other documents has the Minister, or any member of their Office received during the week of 27 November 2023?

Hon Nicola Willis: Yes, we do intend to reduce public expenditure via expenditure reductions targets. At our Mini-Budget in December, the Coalition Government started an ongoing Fiscal Sustainability Programme to embed a culture of responsible spending across Government. The first step in this programme is an Initial Baseline Exercise for government agencies designed to find around $1.5 billion per annum in savings. I have written to Ministers asking that their agencies to find sufficient savings as part of the Initial Baseline Exercise which is part of the Budget 2024 process. Individual agency targets were informed by headcount growth since 2017. I also received the following documents from the Treasury during the week of 27 November 2023: -27/11/2023 Aide Memoire T2023/1990: Introductory Call with Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers -28/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/2001: Options for the Removing the “Dual Mandate” and Other Changes to the Monetary Policy Regime -28/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1987: Implementing the fiscal strategy -28/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1992: Initial decisions for your fiscal strategy -28/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1997: The Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the Four Months Ended 31 October 2023 -28/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1995: Build-to-Rent and the Overseas Investment Act -29/11/2023 Aide Memoire T2023/1991: OECD Economic Outlook - November 2023 -29/11/2023 Joint Report T2023/1904: Project iReX - information and upcoming decisions -29/11/2023 Aide Memoire T2023/2007: Overview of Upcoming Board Appointment Reports 2023/2024 -29/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1898: 100-Day Action Plan regulatory commitments: New Zealand's international good regulatory practice -obligations and Cabinet's impact analysis requirements -29/11/2023 Aide Memoire T2023/1972: Large Scale Asset Purchase Programme Indemnity Payment for the month ended October 2023 -30/11/2023 Cabinet Paper T2023/2022 Crown support for KiwiRail's Project iReX -30/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1913: 2022/23 Performance Report on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand -30/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1668: Finance Portfolio: Commencement of Early 2024 Appointment Round -30/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/2015: Cabinet Paper: Removing the 'Dual Mandate' from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 2021 -30/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/2014: Update on the Fiscal Forecasts for HYEFU 2023 -30/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1660: SOE Portfolio: Commencement of Early 2024 Appointment Round -30/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1981: Upcoming December ETS auction: Potential fiscal implications -30/11/2023 Treasury Report T2023/1962: HYEFU 2023 Final Economic and Tax Forecasts -30/11/2023 Joint Report T2023/2006: Timing of delivery for your immediate tax policy priorities -1/12/2023 Joint Report T2023/2043: Initial Advice on Disestablishment of the Productivity Commission