'New Zealand is a country founded on meritocracy,’ says Winston Peters, citing ‘mind-numbing’ ideology
Political party New Zealand First is proposing the removal of "woke" regulations in the country's public service in a move similar to the ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) withdrawal in the United States.
The NZ First proposal, which was placed into the ballot on Friday, wants to repeal or amend provisions in the Public Service Act 2020 that mandate the public sector to prioritise diversity and inclusion.
Among the proposals inside the Public Service (Repeal of Diversity and Inclusiveness Requirements) Amendment Bill are to:
Remove the Public Service Commissioner's duty to develop a workforce that reflects societal diversity
Eliminate requirements for chief executives and boards to promote diversity and inclusiveness as part of being a "good employer," including specific references to Māori involvement
Repeal the mandate of promoting diversity and inclusion in public service workplaces
Exclude workforce diversity and inclusiveness from government workforce policy considerations
Remove the requirement for the Commissioner's three-yearly briefings to assess workforce diversity and inclusiveness
Delete the obligation for panels appointing chief executives to consider diversity and inclusiveness.
"This Bill would put an end to the woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. New Zealand is a country founded on meritocracy, not on some mind-numbingly stupid ideology," said New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters in a statement.
According to Peters, removing the DEI requirements on public service will give the public confidence that employees are on the job because of their skills and not their identity.
"The public service exists to serve New Zealanders - not to be a breeding ground for identity politics," he said.
According to Radio New Zealand, the proposal is not a government bill and will not be addressed unless Parliament draws it randomly from the ballot.
"If the bill gets pulled from the biscuit tin, we'll have a look at it," said Chris Bishop, National MP and Cabinet minister, as quoted by RNZ.
"I haven't thought about it deeply and we haven't considered the bill and if it gets pulled, we'll have a chat about it."
The bill's goal is similar to US President Donald Trump's recent orders to shut down the government's DEI programmes and put all employees under them on leave.
It comes amid an ongoing withdrawal on DEI initiatives among major organisations in the US, a situation that some experts fear may also reach neighbouring Australia.
