24 June 2019

The latest Kiwis Count Survey has shown that trust in the public sector continues to rise and is now at an all-time high, says State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes.

The survey, released today, shows an increase of 21 percentage points for trust in the public sector since the survey was first taken in 2007.

“It is good to see trust in the public sector continues to rise, especially when compared with others,” said Mr Hughes.

“The public sector plays an important role in delivering key services for New Zealand and New Zealanders, and we cannot do this without the trust of the people we serve. These latest results show that we continue to maintain trust in many of our key services.”

The public sector’s service quality score continues to rise and is also now at an all-time high having risen 9 percentage points since the survey was first taken in 2007.

“This is testament to every one of our frontline staff who interact with thousands of New Zealanders every day,” said Mr Hughes. “These staff exemplify the spirit of service to our communities and come to work to make a difference for each person they encounter.

“What is fantastic to see is that over half of the commonly used public services measured in the survey have significantly increased since measurements began. We continue to have many of our most commonly used services scoring in the high 80s, with passports, superannuation and car registration and licensing rating as the top three services.

“But they also show us where we can improve, something we are committed to doing. As a Public Service, we have changed the way we work to join up across agencies to ensure citizens, clients and customers can access services in the best way possible for them. New Zealanders expect to be able to access these services easy and efficiently, and agencies are delivering on this.”

Only three services ranked below 60%, with the remaining services ranking between 61-88%.

“These results continue to support what we are seeing in the international space, with New Zealand continually ranked in the top five of a number of international indexes, including the latest International Civil Service Effectiveness Index and Transparency International Corruptions Perception Index.

“I’m extremely proud of the great work that is happening right across the public sector to continually improve the services we provide to New Zealanders.”

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