Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister for the Public Service): Last year, the Public Service Commissioner issued guidance to Public Service agencies asking them to have nil or minimal pay increases for public servants until June of this year. Today, the Public Service Commissioner is updating that guidance to make it clear that pay restraint will need to continue to be exercised across the Public Service for the next three years. The updated guidance will continue to mean that there should be no pay increases for those earning over $100,000 and senior leaders within the Public Service. Any increases should be targeted to those lower-paid public servants, largely those earning below $60,000 a year, who account for about 25 percent of the public sector. We want those on the lower wages to be the focus of any increases in pay.