The Government’s recent announcement to cut nearly 9,000 public service roles while accelerating the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is as they have announced, a move toward efficiency. We should see fewer government agencies, reduced costs, and a much stronger reliance on digital tools to deliver services that were once carried out by people.
We are already seeing significant investment into the public service systems with some big budgets to match. The Government’s flagship economic approach, Going for Growth report, recognises the transformative potential, as they outlined in their report;
“Artificial intelligence (AI) represents one of the most significant technological opportunities of our time. For New Zealand, embracing AI is not merely an option, it is essential for maintaining our competitiveness, attracting global talent, and delivering the productivity gains our economy needs to thrive.”
Hmm – for all New Zealand? I’m not seeing much evidence of for going to anyone else except government departments and businesses.
This will have a significant flow on effect for our community organisations.
This essentially will be a whole of system fundamental shift in how decisions are made, how services are delivered, and who holds power in those systems. Because when capability is reduced in one place and replaced in another, we are not simply modernising government, we are reshaping governance itself. Which is to my point – who’s governing AI?
In 2022, we launched the Good Governance Code – a for community, by community code of practice for the thousands of community organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. At the time – we held 6 online workshops with over 360 not-for-profit members contributing to the governance conversations – there was no mention of Artificial Intelligence – data wasn’t even raised in our workshops or a consideration or thinking!
Today, AI is moving rapidly from concept to practice, and government is moving rapidly, but is the governance of these systems and those on the receiving end, in the conversation?
The risk is not just that AI is introduced quickly, it is that it is introduced unevenly and built elsewhere, implemented centrally, and experienced locally. And for our sector, that creates a familiar dynamic: one where we are once again expected to adapt to systems we did not design.
The reality is, the community and voluntary sector is already part of the AI system. Every report we produce, every dataset we provide, every funding grant we complete contributes to the data infrastructure that feeds these tools and policy design. We are not outside the system, we are fuelling it (well running on empty is more like it). But we are doing so without meaningful control over how that data is used, interpreted, or turned into decisions.
So, what’s the answer? Updating our Good Governance Code to reflect governing AI, making sure we protect our own organisations (regardless of size or kaupapa) as best we can that means; policies, procedures, password protections, understanding your organisations information and what you hold, use, and carry.
Start with what you know and protect and govern from there.
Useful links:
RNZ article on the 2026 budget announcement: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/596302/budget-2026-what-has-been-announced-so-far
New Zealand’s Strategy for Artificial Intelligence ‘Going for Growth’ report: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/new-zealands-strategy-for-artificial-intelligence.pdf
