DOC Reshuffle Fails to Deliver for Taxpayers

The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming the Department of Conservation’s latest staffing changes as another weak attempt to dodge real savings, saying the bureaucracy remains overstaffed and under-accountable.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf, said:

“After months of dragging their feet DOC has finally confirmed some actual job losses, but let’s not kid ourselves.”

“We said it in May and we’ll say it again: this is optics over substance. DOC’s headcount exploded by 37 percent between 2017 and 2023, so they’re barely scratching the surface with these latest changes.”

“This isn’t bold reform, it’s damage control. Taxpayers were promised savings, not press releases and token trims. Every dollar spent propping up bloated departments is a dollar not spent on frontline conservation work or returning money to the pockets of hardworking New Zealanders.”

“The Government can’t fix the books with PR spin and half-measures. It needs to show some backbone and start cutting where it counts, and that means tackling the bloated back-office beasts like DOC head-on.”