The Māori–Crown relationship: The why, the who, and the howPublic Sector, Spring 2026 I joined Helmut Modlik, Chief Executive of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, and Steven Sutton on a panel at the Hāpai Public Aspiring Senior Leaders Masterclass, a workshop for tier three and four managers on the relationship between Māori and the Crown....
Public Comment: Hāpai Public and moments that matter
01/10/2026
Public Sector, Spring 2026, by Kathy Young In the third of four anniversary articles, supporters of Hāpai Public recalled their favourite memories of the organisation. Mine was partnering with the central agencies, on behalf of Hāpai Public, to run three seminars on the Performance Improvement Framework. I said that these events gave us a rare...
Original Research: Independent Review of NZTA Compliance Response Framework
21/09/2026
Review of the NZTA Compliance Response Framework (2026) DTK and Associates reviewed the NZTA Compliance Response Framework for the Director of Land Transport, as part of the Director’s programme of assurance reviews. The review used a literature review, a focus group, Q methodology with 35 participants from inside NZTA and the regulated sector, and follow-up...
Public Sector, Winter 2026, by Kathy Young In the second of four anniversary articles, leaders of Hāpai Public considered what the organisation should focus on over its next 90 years. I said that building capability includes helping public servants support ministers to govern well under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. That means understanding that kāwanatanga and...
Article: Polyanna policy – Is NZ’s framework for AI use in government overly optimistic?
11/05/2026
‘Polyanna policy’: Is the framework for AI use in government overly optimistic? (2026) In this 2026 piece for The Conversation, Barbara Allen and I ask whether the governance frameworks Aotearoa is building to manage artificial intelligence can be trusted to work, at a time when public service agencies are being encouraged to adopt it. We...
Public Comment: Hāpai Public and supporting the public sector for 90 years
01/05/2026
Public Sector, Autumn 2026, by Kathy Young In the first of four articles marking the 90th anniversary of Hāpai Public, formerly the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand, I spoke about the organisation’s change of name in 2025. I explained that the new name, Hāpai Public – the Institute of Public Professionals, draws on the...
The role of the central agencies: Collaboration or control? (2025) In this 2025 article for Hāpai Public, Derek Gill and I ask whether the central agencies are rebuilding integrated coordination of the Public Service, or whether the talk of collaboration is a cover for centralisation. In a series of Hāpai Public webinars, the five central...
Opinion: Fixing the public service without forgetting the basics
03/04/2025
He Pōneketanga, column published in BusinessDesk on 3 April 2025. In this final column I respond to the Government’s announcement that it will amend the Public Service Act 2020. I agree that the public service needs a reset: numbers have grown significantly since 2017 without a clear improvement in services, and where results have improved...
Panel: The Māori Crown relationship
01/10/2026
The Māori–Crown relationship: The why, the who, and the howPublic Sector, Spring 2026 I joined Helmut Modlik, Chief Executive of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, and Steven Sutton on a panel at the Hāpai Public Aspiring Senior Leaders Masterclass, a workshop for tier three and four managers on the relationship between Māori and the Crown....
View articlePublic Comment: Hāpai Public and moments that matter
01/10/2026
Public Sector, Spring 2026, by Kathy Young In the third of four anniversary articles, supporters of Hāpai Public recalled their favourite memories of the organisation. Mine was partnering with the central agencies, on behalf of Hāpai Public, to run three seminars on the Performance Improvement Framework. I said that these events gave us a rare...
View articleOriginal Research: Independent Review of NZTA Compliance Response Framework
21/09/2026
Review of the NZTA Compliance Response Framework (2026) DTK and Associates reviewed the NZTA Compliance Response Framework for the Director of Land Transport, as part of the Director’s programme of assurance reviews. The review used a literature review, a focus group, Q methodology with 35 participants from inside NZTA and the regulated sector, and follow-up...
View articlePublic Comment: Hāpai Public and looking ahead
01/09/2026
Public Sector, Winter 2026, by Kathy Young In the second of four anniversary articles, leaders of Hāpai Public considered what the organisation should focus on over its next 90 years. I said that building capability includes helping public servants support ministers to govern well under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. That means understanding that kāwanatanga and...
View articleArticle: Polyanna policy – Is NZ’s framework for AI use in government overly optimistic?
11/05/2026
‘Polyanna policy’: Is the framework for AI use in government overly optimistic? (2026) In this 2026 piece for The Conversation, Barbara Allen and I ask whether the governance frameworks Aotearoa is building to manage artificial intelligence can be trusted to work, at a time when public service agencies are being encouraged to adopt it. We...
View articlePublic Comment: Hāpai Public and supporting the public sector for 90 years
01/05/2026
Public Sector, Autumn 2026, by Kathy Young In the first of four articles marking the 90th anniversary of Hāpai Public, formerly the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand, I spoke about the organisation’s change of name in 2025. I explained that the new name, Hāpai Public – the Institute of Public Professionals, draws on the...
View articleArticle: The role of the central agencies
01/12/2025
The role of the central agencies: Collaboration or control? (2025) In this 2025 article for Hāpai Public, Derek Gill and I ask whether the central agencies are rebuilding integrated coordination of the Public Service, or whether the talk of collaboration is a cover for centralisation. In a series of Hāpai Public webinars, the five central...
View articleOpinion: Fixing the public service without forgetting the basics
03/04/2025
He Pōneketanga, column published in BusinessDesk on 3 April 2025. In this final column I respond to the Government’s announcement that it will amend the Public Service Act 2020. I agree that the public service needs a reset: numbers have grown significantly since 2017 without a clear improvement in services, and where results have improved...
View article