Winston Peters and New Zealand First are hoping to follow the anti-DEI path being laid by Donald Trump in the United States, proposing new legislation today to rid ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ regulation from the public service. 

DEI commonly refers to policies or frameworks to ensure the inclusion of individuals and communities with varying characteristics or from different demographics. 

Diversity and inclusion are currently described as “essential” parts of the public service, by the Public Service Commission (PSC), which has its own DEI plan and regularly reports on progress against DEI activities. 

But New Zealand First wants “woke DEI regulations” removed from the public service and is proposing legislation to ensure employment decisions are based on merit rather than DEI targets. 

This is being introduced as a Member’s Bill, meaning it would need to be picked from a ballot before being debated by Parliament. It is not a Government Bill. 

“This Bill would put an end to the woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. New Zealand is a country founded on meritocracy not on some mind-numbingly stupid ideology,” said Peters. 

The specific changes the legislation would make include removing aspects of the Public Service Act 2020 that requires the Public Service Commissioner to promote a diverse workforce. 

For example, the legislation would amend Section 44 “to remove the Public Service Commissioner’s duty to develop a workforce that reflects societal diversity”. 

Section 73 would be amended to “eliminate requirements for chief executives and boards to promote diversity and inclusiveness as part of being a ‘good employer,’ including specific references to Māori involvement.” 

The Public Service Act’s Section 75 is all about chief executives and boards promoting diversity and inclusiveness. This would be repealed completely under New Zealand First’s proposal. 

When selecting a new chief executive for a department, currently a panel must consider requirements “relating to merit-based appointments and diversity and inclusiveness”. The obligation to consider diversity and inclusiveness would be removed. 

“The public service exists to serve New Zealanders - not to be a breeding ground for identity politics,” said Peters. 

“Removing woke ‘DEI’ requirements will give the public confidence that the right person is in the right job based on their skills not their identity.” 

The move follows actions by the Trump Administration in the United States to roll back DEI policies across its government. One of the first executive orders the US President signed was to terminate DEI discrimination in the federal workforce. 

“Federal hiring, promotions, and performance reviews will reward individual initiative, skills, performance, and hard work and not, under any circumstances, DEI-related factors, goals, policies, mandates or requirements.” 

Senior Trump advisor Elon Musk has previously called DEI “another word for racism”. 

In an update on its work released last month, the PSC said DEI is about reflecting and valuing the communities that Te Kawa Mataaho | Public Service Commission is here to serve, to build trust and confidence and improve services and outcomes for New Zealanders. 

“When we attract, retain, recognise, value, and develop the skills and experiences of people across all dimensions of diversity (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, rainbow, age), there are multiple benefits.” 

The PSC said that included greater diversity of thought, being better equipped to engage with different stakeholders, and lower gender and ethnic pay gaps. 

It said it had been working in 2024 to support leaders “to develop inclusive practice and build overall DEI capability”. 

This is just the latest move by New Zealand First to fight “woke” aspects of society. Last month it introduced a Member’s Bill to prevent banks from refusing services to businesses because of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks. 

“This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate radicals,” said Peters at the time. 

Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.