Following secretary for public reform Dr Gordon de Brouwer’s visit to New Zealand earlier this week, a Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPM&C) spokesperson told The Mandarin the government is hoping to learn from other jurisdictions’ public sector reform.
“Australia can learn from the NZ experience of capability building, investment in technology and data, improving service delivery, working in partnership with others, performance management and strengthening integrity,” the spokesperson said.
“Central to the NZ reform was positioning the public service to better understand what it meant to put New Zealanders first in everything they do, planning for future complexities that affect the people of New Zealand, and developing a culture of spirit of service.”
New Zealand public service commissioner Peter Hughes said the focus of the discussions were on what reforms worked in the New Zealand context.
“The fundamental characteristic and driving force behind the public service is acting with a spirit of service to the community. The spirit of service is what unites the public service,” Hughes told The Mandarin over email.
“It’s about being motivated by something bigger than ourselves; a higher purpose. It’s coming to work every day wanting to make a difference for New Zealand and the communities we serve.”
Hughes met with de Brouwer and discussed both the New Zealand Te Kawa Mataaho commission, as well as a piece of New Zealand legislation — the Public Service Act 2020. The legislation was called the biggest shakeup in 30 years to New Zealand’s public service.
One of the changes to New Zealand’s public sector from this legislation was the creation of “executive boards” — boards made of heads of different departments to address specific issues.
For example, the government established a climate change chief executive board made of Kiwi public servants from different departments, including the secretary for the environment, secretary to the treasury, and secretary for transport.
Hughes said this reform “provides more flexible options for the public service to organise itself and join up around specific priorities and complex challenges, with the establishment of chief executive boards that can appoint staff and manage funding”.
The other key reforms out of the legislation, Hughes said, were the setting up of a common purpose of the public service, a recognition for the public service to support the Crown’s relationship with Māori, the establishment of a public service leadership team, and a requirement for chief executives to produce a brief every three years on their department’s long-term challenges.
Hughes added the legislation has people appointed to the public service, not agencies, allowing people to move between departments.
In Australia, de Brouwer is looking at state and territory jurisdictions for other ideas of public sector reform as well.
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Secretary de Brouwer visits New Zealand for public sector reform ideas
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