Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the regulatory standards bill.  As someone involved in regulatory systems and policy, I want to talk about their design and likely impact. Let me be direct: these proposals lack any supporting evidence that they would improve our regulatory environment. Instead, they demonstrate a troubling pattern of overreach….

Apropos of nothing – except for the current vibe coming out of Wellington. Let’s be frank about what went wrong with the Knowledge Wave circa 2001 and 2003. I remember sitting in those early conferences – all optimism and powerpoints about our gleaming tech future. But in reality, we were trying to bolt a Silicon…

Note: This analysis was initially prepared as a commissioned piece for a local private sector client in December 2024. With their permission, I am sharing these insights more broadly to contribute to the ongoing dialogue about public service reform. While the core analysis remains unchanged – at the time this post was published – from…

My name is Deb Te Kawa. I oppose this Bill. As mokopuna of Paora Haenga and a seasoned public policy practitioner teaching at Canterbury University, I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill with personal conviction rooted in my whakapapa and professional judgment informed by decades of expertise. My tūpuna understood the Crown’s role needed clear definition…

In the ever-evolving landscape of public governance, a new approach is catching attention across the seas in the United Kingdom. Called mission-led governance, it promises a fresh perspective on how institutions and organizations might better serve society. The core idea is compelling: what if our public institutions could genuinely prioritize social and environmental purposes alongside—or…

Let me explore the shift in central agency leadership and its implications for public sector governance. The whakataukī “He niho tō te paraoa” offers a profound insight into public service leadership—it’s not just about having authority but about having the institutional experience and capacity to exercise it effectively. This metaphor perfectly captures the current moment…

Let me analyse the crucial issues of public service leadership appointments, merit, and constitutional governance. The metaphor at the heart of the whakataukī above, of needing to manage “between heaven and earth” perfectly captures the unique complexity of public service chief executive roles. These aren’t simply senior management positions – they don’t just exist in…

I’m not posting that much at the moment. I am writing. But this hypothesis above has my attention. Let me examine the crucial dynamic between political and administrative spheres in public sector reform. The Better Public Services program offers an instructive example of how the political-administrative interface should work. Its success wasn’t just about managerial…

Trust in public services is on the decline. This particular measure calls attention to a measure of ‘trust’ as the state is not doing harm. In addition, confidence in public services – due to an actual experience – is flatlining. A follower on blue-sky asked me why I didn’t comment on the private sector comparator….

The Royal Commission’s Report on Abuse in Care has landed on my desk, and its findings are devastating. As someone who has spent decades studying public policy and governance, I can tell you this: what we’re looking at isn’t just a collection of unfortunate incidents – it’s administrative evil in its purest form. Let me…

There has been much debate and discussion lately about lobbyists’ roles, with some calling for more regulation and oversight. As an observer of policy-making processes, I recently had the opportunity to provide feedback to Health Coalition Aotearoa and Transparency International on their proposals for regulating lobbyists. Specifically, their call for greater transparency and conflict of…

Performative governance represents one of the most intriguing developments in contemporary political and administrative practice. It is where the act of governing becomes increasingly focused on the appearance of action rather than implementation and substantial shifts in outcomes. It is a phenomenon that has become particularly salient in our increasingly always-on-media-saturated political discourse. The concept…

Over the past few weeks, several readers have contacted me and asked me to explain what I mean by the role of government. Their questions were prompted by the hypothesis I hold about institutional performance: in short, efficiency and effectiveness are only possible if the Cabinet brings three things to the table: first, clarity about…

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…

If you have been in a lecture or tutorial with me, you will know I have been asking questions about the role, purpose, and design of the three central agencies for many years*. I think it’s time for a merger. The shared role of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), the Public Services…

Ahakoa haere tatou ki hea. Ka haere tahi tatou katoa. Recently, I received messages from friends, family, and clients responding to an article I wrote for e-Tangata. The messages came from a diverse range of people: those on the hauora and regulatory frontlines, current and former public servants, my Australian and Pacific clients, representatives from…

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Grounded. That is how I see the combining of public services and finance outcomes alongside the social investment outcome into one portfolio. It puts the four most powerful functions together (Budget, Performance, People and Integrity) and links them to social investment. I like it for a range of reasons: First and foremost, it’s a direct…

This post is a letter to my friends and whānau working in the public service. As the whakataukī suggests you are always working in the past, present and future. That is because the past is central to and shapes your present and future reality. It also because you are always carrying previous attempts at public…

The whakataukī above reminds us that different emotions can be more useful than others, especially in a time of conflict. I think about this whakataukī, especially when it comes to public service reform and the endless round of working group reports on state sector productivity and effectiveness. I mean, can we jump to devolution now?…

Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi: Public Service Association asked me to write a pre-election article for their online journal. The link to the article is here: https://www.psa.org.nz/our-voice/one-of-our-greatest-assets/ Please consider joining the union that represents and protects the rights of over 80,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups. They…

I chaired a webinar for members of Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi: Public Service Association so they could hear directly from politicians about their policies for the public service. We covered back office cuts, importance of ministers working positively with the service and the role of government. Check it out.

As the whakataukī suggests, not much is achieved without a plan and people to do the mahi. I’d add that not much is achieved without good governance. Here are some thoughts on public sector governance. I am not arguing for the models because they are not yet adapted in a Te Tiriti-led way. However, I…

In 1994, ten years after we enthusiastically and somewhat naively implemented the 80s reforms, Professor Allen Schick came to town to check in on what we had done. In his evaluation, he made a couple of critical comments. Firstly, there should be no going back to the not-so-good old days of managerial addiction to inputs,…

This is one of my favourite whakataukī. I first saw it used by Te Ohu Kaimoana to bring iwi together to complete the fisheries settlement. In watching that work, I think the whakataukī means to let the shadows fall behind us, so we may see one another’s faces. It’s our version of sunlight being the…

A small warning. I am writing a journal article on public-sector reform and why many reform programmes fail. It follows a panel discussion I was part of early this year. IPANZ and Deloitte hosted it. Deloitte was calling attention to their 2022 State of the State report. The report found that the public sector in…

Unlike the original Westminister tradition, the Chinese Imperial Civil Service had a set of dress codes for officials: a way, so to speak, to distinguish the different classes and ranks within each class. Each rank had its own belts, hats and trim. The top rank had two stately cranes soaring above clouds, and the lowest…

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…

Business Desk asked me to comment about trust in the public service.

I wrote in support of the conversion practices prohibition legislation.

Over the past several years, I have been playing with the idea that we have a hopelessly distorted public sector governance system. My current hypothesis is that it’s distorted because most of the power is held by ministers and senior officials and is often exercised in the dark, in the hidden corners of Government, where…

Mātai Tōrangapū, Hononga Tāwāhi | School of Political Science and International Relations at Canterbury University asked me to speak about the importance of the new Public Service Act 2022. The lecture is attached.

Stuff asked me about a research project that revealed inconsistent, slow and problematic responses to information requests. I made the point that we need to urgently fix the OIA.

I wrote in support of the Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies Bill.

I wrote to the Select Committee reviewing the Public Service Legislation Bill.

This leads me to describe the fifth quirk in our system. I am still exploring this quirk using a combination of political theory and research on institutions. So far, it seems that either Ministers are incredibly powerful in the current system (possibly too powerful), or the chief executive’s fixed-term contracts have weakened senior officials’ place…

The fourth quirk speaks to the critical importance of good leadership by public servants and how it lifts capability (which itself enables outcomes).  While this is impressionistic, the agencies that rate highly on this dimension value authentic leadership and have senior leadership teams and boards who create an organisational spirit that encourages staff to be…

The third quirk speaks directly to what lifts the capability of the public service. In short, coherency in strategy and clarity about the agency’s role in the broader system appears to be positively correlated with capability (see diagram below). The strategy and role dimension involve ensuring each agency can clearly articulate its future direction to…

According to all PIF reviews, the second quirk in the public management system is that stronger ratings in results are positively associated with stronger ratings in capability. Interestingly, there is some variability amongst agencies, with some agencies more strongly rated on results than their capability rating would imply and others not producing the results for…

This post is a slight diversion. The legitimacy of the public management system rests on its ability to demonstrate high levels of integrity and performance. The public and their political representatives have a right to be confident that public ownership, funding, provision, and regulation do the most good while curtailing cost. Analysis I have completed…

As is the way in te ao Māori, this paper begins with the place from which the author speaks (Pihama, 2012 and Smith, 2013 ). Ko Pohautea te māunga Ko Waiapu te awa Ko Ngāti Porou tōku iwi Te Whānau a Hineauta and Te Whānau a Pokai nga hapu Ko Pokai tōku marae Nō Rangiora…

I have several reasons for wanting to be transparent about the epistemology, ontology, theoretical basis and methodology of the Performance Improvement Framework (PIF). My reasons are three-fold. First, to communicate the philosophy of the PIF to interested academics to ensure criticism and analysis is well-informed. As signalled previously, the PIF was designed to push against…

In 2013, New Zealand’s Parliament, with rare support from all political parties, amended its 1988 State Sector Act, which had created one of the world’s most devolved public administration systems. After 25 years of increasing frustration among citizens and officials about insufficiently joined up the public sector, a conservative political executive elected in 2008, amidst…

As some of you know, I moved my doctoral study away from Victoria University of Wellington. In doing so, I put aside a review of the system findings of the Performance Improvement Framework (PIF) and what they tell us about the performance of the New Zealand public management system. This shift does not mean I…

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? First, others working in the infrastructure supply chain can see the big picture the AT…

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…

Okay, as 2017 ends, I am finally able to my doctorate from Victoria University of Wellington to the University of Canterbury. One advisor said to me, “the only PhD is a completed one”. I will blog another time about what it was like studying at Victoria University of Wellington. In the meantime, this post summarises…

After twenty years as a public servant, I now have the luxury of working for myself with some great clients, trying to finish a PhD on free and frank advice and observing the beltway from Rangiora. So here’s my take on what the new Government means for the public sector. The headline is this –…

Public Sector asked me about the Performance Improvement Framework. I talk about how the PIF has given public service leaders, ministers, and the public an unrestrained view of thestrengths and weaknesses of each public institution and the public service as a whole.

Kevin Guerin and I wrote about the Performance Improvement Framework. We describe the programme and reveal what the published reviews are starting to tell us about Aotearoa’s public management system and why the Better Public Service reforms are necessary.