■ We can’t hollow out public services and expect regional New Zealand to thrive, writes Jo Luxton, East Coast Labour candidate

The Government’s public service restructure is being dressed up as an efficiency drive.

But here in Whakatāne and right across the Eastern Bay, people know the real question is much simpler than that: when Wellington takes capacity out of the system, who misses out?

For regional communities, these decisions have real consequences for whānau, for businesses and for towns expected to do more with less.

They affect whether a family can get help when they need it, whether a business owner can talk to someone who understands their situation, and whether services are shaped by local realities or by decisions made a long way from the people living with the consequences.

We know what happens when public services are stretched too thin.

It means longer waits, fewer local decision-makers, and more pressure on whānau to navigate systems that are already too hard to deal with.

In the Eastern Bay, where distance, cost and patchy digital access can already be barriers, that matters.

Technology has a place, and public services should keep improving.

But digital tools and AI should back up good people, not replace them.

They cannot sit across the table from a whānau under pressure, help someone work through a complicated issue, or bring the kind of judgment, trust and common sense that strong local services rely on.

There is also the impact on local jobs.

Public service roles help keep regional economies going.

They support families, small businesses and the strength of our town centres. When those jobs are cut, the flow-on effect is felt right across the community.

If the Government is serious about getting better results, it should start with a straightforward principle: build services around people, place and fairness.

That means sensible reform, proper local input, and making sure regional New Zealand is not asked to carry the cost of decisions made in Wellington.

Whakatāne and the wider Eastern Bay deserve public services that are present, capable and connected to the communities they serve.

Efficiency matters, but it should never come at the expense of fairness, local jobs, and the support our whānau count on.