Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce has expressed that the New Zealand Government should have pursued public sector cuts more decisively and earlier. Speaking on Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking Breakfast, Joyce, who served in various senior roles from 2008 to 2017, highlighted the significant rise in the number of core public servants, which grew from 49,000 to 64,000 since 2017. He noted that despite this increase, there has been little evidence of enhanced output from the public sector. Joyce suggested that the coalition arrangement may have limited the government's ability to act swiftly on these cuts, stating, “as is often the case with coalition governments, the things you think should have happened quicker perhaps were the subject of negotiations between parties, and that slows you down.” His comments reflect ongoing concerns about public sector efficiency and the challenges faced by coalition governments in implementing policy changes effectively.