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 captures the unique complexity of public service chief executive roles. These aren’t just senior management positions; they are constitutional offices at the heart…

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…

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…