‘A culture of saying no is not acceptable’: New Zealand minister plans public service reform
Judith Collins, the new public service minister in New Zealand, has called on public servants to “say yes” to help drive reform and implement the government’s agenda.
In a major speech following her appointment as public service minister last month, Collins said it was essential that public servants deliver results in government “in a fast-changing world that constantly throws up new challenges”.
“Governments and the public service are always under pressure to find new solutions and new ways of working.”
Collins said the work of government was “complex and challenging and, at times, messy” and “the more complex and challenging it gets, the more simple we need to keep it”.
She said that government therefore needed to ensure that “serving the public must always be our top priority, regardless of how tough the operating environment is. We should never lose sight of this simple objective”.
“We have to deliver results,” she said. “There simply is no other option. New Zealanders need us and expect us to get on with the job now, and I back you to support the government to do what is required.”
Read more: Inability to balance public finances ranked top in list of interconnected risks facing governments
Minister acknowledges difficult ‘downsizing’ in public service
In the speech, Collins acknowledged the hard work and commitment of public service leaders in the last year in helping implement the government’s plan to reduce the size of the public service.
Collins said that “right-sizing” the public service was needed after the core service grew 34% between 2017 and 2023, but added: “It’s never easy telling someone a programme they’ve worked on for several years won’t be proceeding, or that their role no longer exists.”
The government must therefore find new ways of working, she said, highlighting the potential for digitising government as one such way.
“We stand on the cusp of a digital revolution that has the power to transform the way our government serves New Zealanders.”
If done right, digitisation of public services would be game changing, Collins said, with better online portals, mobile applications and AI-enabled interfaces making it easier to access government services and information “anytime and from anywhere”. Technology can also transform services by tailoring them to meet the specific needs of individuals, communities and businesses.
“I’d like to see the public service embrace the potential of AI,” Collins said. “I look forward to seeing a centralised, AI-powered data platform that enables real-time sharing of insights and collaboration between agencies like health, education and housing. It will be able to identify connections that may not be immediately obvious.”
Read more: New Zealand government forges path to responsible AI with new framework
Speaking truth in government – and saying yes
It was vital that civil servants “provide free and frank advice” in government, she said, but urged civil servants to work out how to say ‘yes’.
“Public servants who speak truth to power by telling ministers their pet policy ideas are crazy and unworkable don’t get far. But neither do public servants who nod along and promise to deliver the undeliverable. That is a betrayal of the responsibilities of a public servant and it results in policy disaster.
“Ministers do want free and frank advice. Tell us how we can implement our priorities and policies. Tell us how we can improve our policies. Tell us how we can improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities. Tell us when intervention is necessary. And tell us when to stop or change a policy.”
The necessity of speaking truth to power was one of the key findings of Global Government Forum’s Making Government Work report, which found that safeguarding and reinforcing the provision of impartial advice was a vital plank in building strong leadership in government, with mutual respect and alignment between ministers and senior officials.
Read the report in full: Making Government Work: Five pillars of a modern, effective civil service
Later in the speech, Collins returned to the theme, and highlighted that prime minister Christopher Luxon had said “a culture of saying no is not acceptable”.
Collins said the challenge for leaders was “to inspire your staff, your team, to say ‘yes’.”
“Yes to the licence. Yes to the permit. Yes to considering trialling AI tutors for kids. Yes to delivering a government app that provides the sort of service that the commercial world delivers. And yes to treating our customers like customers.”
Possible reforms to the Public Service Act
Collins highlighted that she was exploring the potential to reform the Public Service Act.
In New Zealand, the act sets an overarching vision for the public service – a leading edge, unified, trusted public service that serves Aotearoa and its people – and includes four objectives: improved outcomes for New Zealand; delivering better services for New Zealanders; supporting democratic government and active citizenship; and acting constitutionally and ethically.
Collins said that the act was “too prescriptive” and was “not allowing the public service to be as innovative as it could be”.
In particular, Collins said that she intended to review the act’s responsibilities for chief executives. The act makes chief executives accountable to their minister for upholding their responsibility to support the Crown’s relationships with Māori; and for enabling the creation of functional chief executives with responsibility for leading and coordinating work in areas across the public service, such as digital, data and information, property, health and safety
Collins said that chief executive responsibilities “have become too diffuse and roles have become confused”.
“[I]t seems to me that you are getting weighed down with things that don’t have much to do with your core responsibilities and where everything becomes a priority. Your core role is to serve the government of the day and focus on the basics, and the act should reflect this.”
Collins asked leaders for their thoughts on potential changes. “What can we change that will allow you to drive innovation and improve service delivery. You are better placed than me and other ministers, so I look forward to any suggestions you have.”
She added that innovation isn’t just a nice-to-have in government, it’s a must. “We are facing complex challenges that require immediate action. It’s not just being open to new ways of doing things, we need to be doing it.”
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