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…

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….

I’m excited to hear about the new standalone Social Investment Agency. One aspect I particularly like is its focus on emergent practice. This focus extends the original idea and clarifies whatever the Social Wellbeing Agency has been doing. Emergent practice is important for four reasons. First, I know that some of you think that the…

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…

This is an apolitical post. It is about the effectiveness of machinery of government changes. As far as I know, the disestablishment of the Te Kōmihana Whai Hua O Aotearoa | Productivity Commission and Te Aka Whai Ora | Māori Health Authority are respectively the 501 and 502 machinery of government changes in Aotearoa-New Zealand…

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…

Here’s my analysis of regulatory reform and administrative burden, speaking from my public policy expertise: The conversation about cutting “red tape” often misses the crucial distinction between necessary oversight and genuine administrative burden. Let’s look at what meaningful regulatory reform looks like, using the COVID-19 vaccination rollout as a telling case study. The Te Puni…

Apropos of nothing – let me unpack this critical issue of ministerial-executive relationships and institutional performance through a public policy lens. The gap in our system isn’t just about policy or delivery – it’s about the fundamental preparation of ministers for what is essentially a governance role over complex public institutions. We’ve created sophisticated frameworks…

Speaking as a public policy expert, here’s my analysis of the current political landscape. I have offered this advice to several clients. They are happy for me to offer it here – to you. The recent political rhetoric around cutting public services deserves careful examination. Not because of the predictable election-time theatrics but because it…

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,…

Some people out and about demonstrating a little knowledge of regulatory systems is a dangerous thing. I am not a regulator, but I have prepared policy advice that had to be turned into regulatory policy and, eventually, rules. I also help design regulatory funding models; clients ask me to review them for fairness and equity….

As we enter the heart of election year, I have been thinking about this whakatauki. The literal translation is that while the mokoroa is small, it is strong enough to eat through and fell the kahikatea tree. It’s a reminder that small things can have a significant impact, and it also encourages us to think…

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…

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.