Department of Internal Affairs building in Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
The Department of Internal Affairs is proposing to axe the government chief privacy officer, as well as six other roles related to information security, according to the Public Service Association.
The union (PSA) is warning New Zealanders' sensitive information held by various agencies could fall into the wrong hands if these roles are lost.
PSA national secretary Duane Leo said it was more evidence of the "reckless nature" of the government spending cuts, which have resulted in plans to disestablish more than 3500 roles, with more to come.
"Now more than ever, as the risks from cybersecurity grow, as more of us engage with public services online and as the dangers posed by AI become better understood, the government should be investing more in these areas, not less."
The government chief privacy officer's (GCPO) job was to provide "a whole of government approach" to privacy, ensuring the public service securely collected and managed personal information lawfully.
"For the department to tell staff the work of the GCPO has served its purpose is wrong."
According to the union, the current proposal includes disestablishing the role of the GCPO, along with the privacy functions within the group: four permanent roles and two temporary roles.
Consultation documents given to staff on Wednesday reveal a cybersecurity analyst working within the department is also in line to be cut.
Leo said the Auditor-General had highlighted "the essential role" provided by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and the GCPO.
The new minister was advised by officials last November that while "privacy maturity" had improved across 47 agencies since 2022, there was still a need for further improvement.
"The government seems prepared to play fast and loose with the private information of New Zealanders - it has made a clear choice to cut jobs to fund tax cuts and damn the consequences. This is just plain more dumb stuff from this government," Leo said.