We are "bureaucrats" you are demeaning

Uninformed comments this morning about wasteful spending on new public servants is offensive to the people who have come together, as part of our team of 5 million, to keep us safe and our heads above water over the past two years, says PSA national secretary, Kerry Davies.

"On behalf of all the public service, who have gone the extra mile during this pandemic, I ask that those commentators remember that they are us."

"We are:

• Border and MIQ workers
• Contact tracers
• Logistic experts, who made sure there were tests and vaccines available when and where they were needed
• People who made sure the wage subsidies got to small businesses
• Social workers who assisted people without homes into accommodation during the lockdown
• IR staff, who deferred and forgave tax payments and debt.
• Communications people who developed all the messages, and got them out to us, to keep us safe
• Translators, including sign language interpreters, who made sure everybody could understand what was going on
• Parliamentary staff who supported the MPs and Ministers to do the work
• Security guards who kept businesses safe while they were closed
• Health professionals who looked after us when we were sick
• Lab technicians who processed our PCR tests
• Lawyers who made sure the plans to keep us safe were within the law
• Corrections staff, who cared for people who were incarcerated during the pandemic
• Social service workers who supported whānau
• MSD workers who assisted with the wage subsidy, and who are managing the new Covid support line, front line staff who are dealing with both clients and non-clients to support them through Covid."

"And that's just for starters. Together the public service and all New Zealanders have saved thousands of lives, and there's no better outcome than that."