Fuel crisis the priority, not style guides, Judith Collins tells ACT

Public Service Minister Judith Collins has shrugged off pressure from coalition partner ACT over the government's English-first policy, suggesting the matter is not a key priority.

"To be frank, right at the moment, my concern is fuel," she told RNZ. "That's my big focus. I'm not too worried about everything else."

NZ First minister Shane Jones echoed Collins' message on Tuesday, describing ACT's concerns as "trivial", but his leader Winston Peters disagreed and said public sector leaders should be "called to account".

ACT MP Todd Stephenson wrote to Collins a fortnight ago warning of "growing concern" that coalition commitments were not being "visibly implemented" across the public service.

He pointed to the Public Service Commission style guidelines which still displayed the te reo Māori phrase "Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa" in bold above the English "New Zealand Government".

Speaking at Parliament on Tuesday, Collins said she had responded with a "very nice" letter noting that changes would be handled on a "case-by-case basis", with cost front of mind.

She said she was sure the commission would issue new guidance to departments "at some stage", but its focus - like hers - was on the current fuel crisis.

"You've just got to [prioritise]... what's going to make the boat go faster, and it's possibly not style guides."

Collins said she did not want agencies spending significant time or money on rebranding and expected any updates to be done as cheaply as possible.

In her letter to Stephenson, she said she had instructed officials to advise her on the potential costs and timeframe for reviewing the guidelines.

She noted that public agencies and Crown entities had recently been reminded "to be mindful of the fiscal environment, to minimise unnecessary expenditure associated with rebranding, and to learn from other agencies' experiences to avoid undue costs".

In a separate statement, Stephenson said the update would not be a significant change but would set an example for the wider public service.

"ACT does not support costly rebrands involving consultants or flash new signage and stationery. But Brooke van Velden delivered a digital-first rebrand at the Department of Internal Affairs for just $741. The Public Service Commission could follow her example."

Mixed messages from NZ First on English-first directive

The English-first directive was won by NZ First during its coalition negotiations with the National Party in 2023. The eventual coalition agreement stated that all public service departments - excluding those specifically related to Māori - would have their primary name in English and communicate primarily in English.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, NZ First leader Winston Peters said the public service had been too slow to take that instruction on board.

"They were given a coalition agreement after the last election. Rather than read it, they decided to carry on their own way, and they're going to be called to account very shortly," Peters said.

"If I was in charge of that department, I'd be calling them in."

Asked why the ACT Party was leading the charge on a NZ First commitment, Peters said: "Imitation's the most sincere form of flattery."

Senior NZ First MP Shane Jones, however, took a different position from his leader, describing ACT's complaints as "trivial".

Jones, who's the minister responsible for fuel security, told RNZ he wanted the public service focused right now on "fuel first, not ACT first".

"I don't mind about these trivial matters that the ACT Party's going on about."

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