Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes has today released the first ‘State of the Public Service’ report.

The Public Service Act 2020 put in place new requirements to provide for strong stewardship of the Public Service now and into the future. One of those measures is the requirement for the Public Service Commissioner to prepare a three-yearly briefing on the State of the Public Service, to sit alongside the Long-term Insights Briefings which have also been introduced.

Te Kahu Tuatini | State of the Public Service, the first report under the Act, provides a comprehensive view of the Public Service and how well it is performing right now.

Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes said the report shows that New Zealand’s Public Service stacks up well internationally, and that New Zealanders can trust and have confidence in it and its work. It also sets clear expectations of the Public Service going forward.

“I am proud of our public servants and the work they do, and this report shows that overall, the Public Service is performing well. But there are areas that need our ongoing focus,” said Mr Hughes.

The Commissioner said the most important overall measure for the state of the Public Service is the trust of New Zealanders.

“Trust in the Public Service remains strong.” said Mr Hughes. “The latest Kiwis Count results show trust based on experience with the Public Service is 83 percent for the September quarter, up from 72 percent since 2011. Trust in the public sector brand is now 61 percent, up from 41 percent in 2011.

“The report also shows that we are performing well by international measures such as the recent OECD Trust in Government survey. That is credit to the commitment of public servants to deliver for New Zealanders, which is highlighted in the report. These are people who are in the job to make a difference every day.

“However, we know there is still more work required to fully earn the trust of Māori and Pacific communities.”

The report describes the ongoing efforts to ensure that the Public Service is increasingly flexible and joined-up, able to work as one system to improve outcomes and services for New Zealanders, which will be a continued focus.

The report sets out the areas the Commissioner expects the Public Service to progress in the next three years including:

• More joining up of digital and face-to-face services around individuals, whānau and communities.
• More digital services that are easy for people to navigate and use.
• A more agile Public Service arranging itself around Government priorities, backed by moving people and resources across the system to support this.
• More engagement and partnering with communities to develop services they want and that work for them.
• Increasing use of co-design and innovate engagement models.
• The Public Service stepping aside if communities can deliver better services themselves.
• Greater capability to engage with Māori and understand Māori perspectives.

“In order to continue to deliver, the Public Service must focus on areas which it can improve. As we look ahead, we will continue to place the needs of individuals, families, and communities at the centre of what we do. That must be our starting point,” said Mr Hughes.

“People’s lives and needs don’t fit neatly into individual agency responsibilities. The needs of people cut across or fall between agencies. We need to overcome the siloes between agencies and put New Zealanders at the centre of service design and delivery, ensuring we focus on service, ethics, and integrity.

“It is about making it easier for people to access services and support in the community and online, increasing the interoperability of our workforce to enable greater flexibility and to rally resources when necessary.

“The context in which we operate will continue to change as society and people’s needs change, and as technology adapts. Like every other organisation in New Zealand, the Public Service will need to respond to that. New Zealand’s Public Service is up for that challenge. I hope that this report provides an insight into our Public Service and the work of its people as we move forward,” said Mr Hughes.

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