There is a photograph from earlier this year that I cannot quite stop thinking about. It shows the new Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, on the W train from Astoria to City Hall, iced coffee in one hand, the other extended to a fellow commuter. He is laughing. The tap-to-ride has just failed at…

To mark Hāpai Public’s 90th anniversary, I spoke with Kathy Young, editor of the Public Sector Journal, about the importance of Hāpai Public and some of its most significant contributions.

Last week I traced the way cabinet committees function as the coordination machinery of executive government: the institutional furniture through which political intent becomes administrative action. Across all of their iterations, the committee system addressed a persistent problem: how to get coherent decision-making across fragmented portfolios, competing priorities, and the relentless pace of the policy cycle….

A plea from Ōtautahi. Can we stop using the phrase “bad apples” when discussing institutional problems? It is a tired cliché that has outlived whatever usefulness it might have once had. The idiom “one bad apple spoils the whole barrel” initially warned about how quickly rot spreads. Yet in contemporary discussions about institutional accountability, we’ve…

I wrote a submission on the Four-Year Term. It was written very quickly: forgive the plain speaking.

Most of us have been to one. The offsite that hums with energy, fills flipcharts with ambitious arrows, and sends everyone home feeling that something significant has occurred, only for Monday morning to arrive and nothing, in fact, to have shifted. I call this “strategy theatre.” It’s a day when the rituals of strategy are…

This post offers my view on Aotearoa’s approach to public governance and why it is so fascinating: over the past 300 years, we have moved from the participatory democracy of rangatiratanga, through colonial imposition, to our current search for balance between efficiency and inclusion. This evolution reveals not just changing administrative arrangements but fundamental shifts…

The whakataukī above is used in many different ways. I’ve heard it used to explain why tamariki and rangatahi break kawa. I’ve also heard it used to explain “tamariki being tamariki” and “boys being boys”. I’ve also seen it used as a regulatory tool, specifically to remind whānau applying for driver licenses of the importance…

The past week has been a reminder of the practical skill and experience required of public servants during an election year. https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/01-03-2023/the-dangers-of-clout-chasing-company-directors-radicalised-on-linkedin As the whakataukī above reminds us, there is nothing like the experience of those on the ground. I’ve been lucky enough to work in ministerial offices in election years and the central agencies….

Silence is associated with many virtues: modesty, restraint and politeness. And, thanks to profoundly ingrained settler rules of institutional etiquette, people choose silence rather than confrontation or acknowledging difference. I am doing a Phd in free and frank advice because I have seen far too many officials and officers in public and private sectors fall…

I do a mix of paid and unpaid work these days. Last night I facilitated a not-for-profit board through a workshop I run on creating positive relationships between the board room and management. In my experience, those boards that understand the importance of whakarangatiratangatia do much better than those who do not. My motivation to…

If kōrero is the kai of rangatira then those who advise rangatira are always looking for ways to use their hands to create unforgettable culinary experiences.  This post offers guidance on what makes a good board paper. Firstly, it is important to remember a Board’s role is to always question and validate, so before you…

Suppose you are working in public policy right now. In that case, you will know that the most precious commodity is not information – information is abundant. Nor is it knowledge – there is an oversupply of competent advisers – many of whom have a strong opinion or a long-held view and are confident in…

Today, you have 104 days or 2,496 hours before the pre-election period starts. And while it is critically important for the public service to remain politically neutral, it is crucial to start thinking about how to best support a new Government*. It is an exciting time and an extraordinary privilege to help a new Government…

These are difficult days in corporate and public sector governance. Difficulties play out daily and impact anyone who works in or around the governance and management divide – very few organisations are unaffected. The once smooth relationship between governors and senior executives is strained by unprecedented change. This change plays out in ways that feel…

As promised, here are my estimates on the number of formal governance roles in the New Zealand State sector. Putting aside the proposed changes to the State Sector Act, which will probably create more governance roles, not less, there are at the very least 3,106 roles. Three thousand, one hundred and six (potential) roles; that…

In Aotearoa, public sector governance refers to the system by which over 4,000 public entities, including policy ministries, departments, Crown entities, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and sui generis organisations such as the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, are directed and controlled. The system includes all processes and behaviours that enable decision-makers to lead and guide public…

As well as doing my PhD I am also providing consultancy services in governance and public policy. I have just returned from Melbourne, where the Australian Institute of Governance has certified my practice. My big takeaway from my certification is the critical importance of crafting timely, accurate and easy to understand advice. I am reminded…

Whatever you think of Auckland Transport (AT), its Board should be acknowledged for publishing its agendas, minutes and reports online. This sort of transparency is vital for public institutions and acts as a proxy for good public sector governance. Why? The New Zealand Transport Agency provides the same level of transparency. Similarly, many local Councils,…

Over the next few years, I will start blogging about the roles, responsibilities and competencies of Board and company secretaries in the context of the New Zealand public sector. I suspect that most of these roles are underdone, misunderstood and an afterthought for most Boards and their chief executives. I have long thought that this…

I often get asked how to move a board from being good to being great. In my experience, three things distinguish a mediocre board from a high performing one. The first is peer accountability. The second is choreography in ‘the moment’. The third is how they address poor leadership and lack of discipline. Peer accountability…