They do not want to go back to a blunt instrument that doesn’t belong in public science or public services.” “The last time PHF Science had performance-based pay, its workers were some of the lowest paid in the science sector,” said Fitzsimons. “This is the latest episode in the rolling disaster that is the Government’s reforms to the science sector.” No wonder so many skilled science workers are giving up on New Zealand altogether and moving overseas.” More on the Government’s science sector reforms:Callaghan debacle: 176 science workers left hanging as Govt botches its own policy (12 June 2026)Underfunding Our Future: The Human Face of the Science Cuts (Save Science Coalition report, 16 April 2026)Govt.