David Seymour advocates for leaner government, calls for scrapping of MPP

ACT Party leader David Seymour is questioning the value of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples and other cultural portfolios, saying they should be removed.

Seymour advocates for scrapping the ministry and similar cultural portfolios, saying they are largely symbolic and do not provide essential services.

He also believes that specific portfolios only contribute to unnecessary complexity in government.

“If you're Pacific, what matters is whether the Health Minister ensures you can see your doctor, or whether your kids get a good education,” he says.

"We have a minister for Pacific peoples... but none of these portfolios deliver services. They're created to show voters a government cares, not to actually fix things."

Seymour criticises the Government structure, which involves 82 ministerial portfolios and 41 departments, describing it as bloated and symbolic.

He supports significantly reducing these numbers to improve accountability and efficiency.

“We have, for example, a minister for child poverty reduction. We all want to reduce child poverty, but having a minister with that title hasn't achieved it. There is no child poverty reduction department. There is no child poverty reduction budget. It's just a title that Labour created.”

The Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) is a government department that advises the New Zealand Government on policies and issues affecting Pacific communities. Photo/MPP Facebook

Despite his criticisms, Seymour acknowledges that culturally responsive services, such as Whānau Ora and charter schools designed for Pacific communities, are valuable initiatives that can be supported through existing departments.

As he prepares to become the Deputy Prime Minister later this month, Seymour reflects on his decade-long political journey.

“It shows that someone like me, who has come into politics with no support, just one of me, barely won my electorate the first time round,” he says.

Watch David Seymour's full interview

“But over time, I've worked, I've gained people's support and I've got to this position.

“I'm really proud of that and I think it shows that in this country, you can get somewhere.

“It hasn't been an easy 10 years, a lot of people attack me and all the rest, but I'm proud of where I've got to.”