Let’s discuss ACT’s proposal to set KPIs for public service chief executives. As someone who’s spent years studying public sector governance, I can see both merit and significant risks in this approach. First, let’s acknowledge the timing. Yes, it’s appropriate for a new government to reset its relationship with the administrative executive. As the whakataukī…

The term civil service was coined in 1785 to describe the non-military or civilian roles undertaken by the East India Company. For those of you who don’t know the history, the company was formed in 1600 to exploit East and Southeast Asia as well as India. The term was subsequently borrowed to mean all the…

The IPANZ New Professionals asked me to speak to them about political nous. I focussed on how to move quietly and effectively in the poneketanga without becoming political. I began by defining the poneketanga as the purple zone: the space between the political and administrative authorising environment. I reminded the group that public institutions are…

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….

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…

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