Reference: 20230264
20 June 2023
Adam Irish
[FYI request #22901 email]
Dear Adam
Thank you for your Official Information Act request, received on 25 May 2023. You
requested the following:
I am writing to formally request information under the Official Information Act
regarding the basis for the Treasury NZ UK Recruitment Campaign. I would
appreciate the following information:
Reciprocal Agreement: Could you please confirm if there exists a reciprocal
agreement between the UK government/Treasury and the NZ Treasury, wherein
the UK government/Treasury matches the number of positions offered by the NZ
Treasury to UK applicants and specifically advertises exclusively to NZ
applicants?
Hiring Practices: I would like to understand the reasons behind the NZ Treasury's
decision to look beyond New Zealand for recruitment purposes, rather than
focusing on hiring and nurturing local talent.
Selection of Countries: Is the preference for recruiting from the UK rooted in
historical factors, reminiscent of colonial times? Furthermore, I would like to know
if unconscious bias may be at play, leading the NZ Treasury to perceive UK
applicants as more desirable than candidates from other nations, including New
Zealand.
Consultation with the Minister of Finance: Was the Minister of Finance consulted
by the Treasury regarding this recruitment campaign?
Support for UK Nationals: If the Treasury intends to support UK nationals through
a work visa program facilitated by INZ (Immigration New Zealand), I would like to
know the basis for this decision, particularly given that the campaign targets the
UK exclusively and does not accept applications from New Zealand. Additionally,
I am interested in understanding how the Treasury justifies claiming labor
shortages or meeting this threshold when local applicants are not considered.
1 The Terrace
PO Box 3724
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
tel. +64-4-472-2733
https://treasury.govt.nz
Competitive Wages and Salary Bands: Will successful applicants through the NZ
UK Recruitment Campaign be offered the same remuneration as domestic
positions with similar job descriptions? Could you please provide information on
the salary bands applicable to these positions?
Wages on offer by the Treasury: Does the Treasury not have the capacity to offer
sufficient wages to attract a pool of suitable candidates from the domestic New
Zealand labour market to work for the Treasury? Can it not afford to compete with
other employers and offer higher wages/living standards?
Impact on Hiring Practices: Considering the Reserve Bank and the Treasury's
own forecasts predicting an increase in NZ unemployment over the next 12
months, what kind of precedent does this recruitment campaign set for hiring NZ
workers?
Consultation with other Organisations: Has the Treasury consulted with the PSA
(Public Service Association) or PSC (Public Service Commission) regarding its
intentions to bypass the NZ labor market?
What level of sign off did this program receive: please provide the signed
briefing/memo that approved this program and advise what level of management
within the organisation approved this initiative.
I kindly request your prompt attention to this request.
Response
1. Reciprocal Agreement: Could you please confirm if there exists a reciprocal
agreement between the UK government/Treasury and the NZ Treasury, wherein
the UK government/Treasury matches the number of positions offered by the NZ
Treasury to UK applicants and specifically advertises exclusively to NZ applicants?
There is no reciprocal agreement between Te Tai Ōhanga
- The Treasury and His
Majesty’s Treasury or the UK government.
2. Hiring Practices: I would like to understand the reasons behind the NZ Treasury's
decision to look beyond New Zealand for recruitment purposes, rather than
focusing on hiring and nurturing local talent.
Our UK recruitment campaign is conducted following a domestic recruitment
process, and we were unable to source suitable candidates in accordance with the
Immigration Act.
3. Selection of Countries: Is the preference for recruiting from the UK rooted in
historical factors, reminiscent of colonial times? Furthermore, I would like to know if
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unconscious bias may be at play, leading the NZ Treasury to perceive UK
applicants as more desirable than candidates from other nations, including New
Zealand.
We do not believe UK applicants to be more desirable than those from other
nations, including NZ.
4. Consultation with the Minister of Finance: Was the Minister of Finance consulted by
the Treasury regarding this recruitment campaign?
No, it is not a requirement to consult with the Minister of Finance when conducting
recruitment.
5. Support for UK Nationals: If the Treasury intends to support UK nationals through a
work visa program facilitated by INZ (Immigration New Zealand), I would like to
know the basis for this decision, particularly given that the campaign targets the UK
exclusively and does not accept applications from New Zealand. Additionally, I am
interested in understanding how the Treasury justifies claiming labor shortages or
meeting this threshold when local applicants are not considered. We do not have a visa program with Immigration NZ. We comply with The
Immigration Act and any subsequent Immigration Regulations or Orders. Local
applicants are always considered first for our roles and are prioritised over those
overseas based on their skills and experience.
6. Competitive Wages and Salary Bands: Will successful applicants through the NZ
UK Recruitment Campaign be offered the same remuneration as domestic
positions with similar job descriptions? Could you please provide information on the
salary bands applicable to these positions?
Yes, the remuneration that would be offered would be the same for all applicants.
Below is a table of the remuneration bands (this is total remuneration):
Role
85% of Band
100% of Band
Senior Analyst
$121,359
$142,775
Principal Advisor
$163,245
$192,053
7. Wages on offer by the Treasury: Does the Treasury not have the capacity to offer
sufficient wages to attract a pool of suitable candidates from the domestic New
Zealand labour market to work for the Treasury? Can it not afford to compete with
other employers and offer higher wages/living standards?
The Treasury offers competitive salaries within the market.
8. Impact on Hiring Practices: Considering the Reserve Bank and the Treasury's own
forecasts predicting an increase in NZ unemployment over the next 12 months,
3
what kind of precedent does this recruitment campaign set for hiring NZ workers?
We do not believe this sets a precedent as we proactively source New Zealand
candidates.
9. Consultation with other Organisations: Has the Treasury consulted with the PSA
(Public Service Association) or PSC (Public Service Commission) regarding its
intentions to bypass the NZ labor market?
No, it is not a requirement to consult with either the PSA or PSC when recruiting.
10. What level of sign off did this program receive: please provide the signed
briefing/memo that approved this program and advise what level of management
within the organisation approved this initiative.
Recruitment is part of our budgeted annual workplan and reviewed quarterly.
Please note that this letter (with your personal details removed) and enclosed
documents may be published on the Treasury website.
This reply addresses the information you requested. You have the right to ask the
Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision.
Yours sincerely
Emma MacRae
Head of People Operations
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