Public service commissioner sets out ‘significant risks’ to New Zealand government
The commissioner of the New Zealand Public Service has used a major report to set out what he called the “significant risks” that the government faces.
Sir Brian Roche’s first State of the Public Service report since taking up the post in October 2024 set out that the public service has served New Zealand well, but that there are a number of risks to the current operating model that need to be addressed to ensure this continues.
According to Roche, the “significant risks” to the current operating model include a fragmented and siloed approach across the public service; the lack of a whole-of-system perspective; and what he called “slow uptake” of technologies that could enable more effective services, such as artificial intelligence.
Other risks highlighted by Roche include the range of sub-scale agencies across the public service, which could reduce resilience and constrain career pathways, and insufficient talent development.
He also highlighted risks relating to the ongoing fiscal pressures that the government is facing.
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Public servants must be supported by ‘systems, tools, and processes’
Setting out his report, Roche said that in his first year as commissioner, he has “seen first-hand, the dedication, drive and commitment public servants bring to their work”.
He said: “They deliver services every day that matter to every New Zealander. This commitment needs to be supported by systems, tools, and processes that don’t get in the way of timely delivery. This is not always the case, and we need to fix this.”
As well as identifying these risks, Roche set out some of the steps needed to modernise the way the public service works.
These initiatives include efforts to reduce fragmentation by better organising government around the needs of citizens and businesses, and creating a unified ‘digital front door’ to many public services. There are also efforts to centralise digital investment and procurement for efficiency and reuse across the government, and to more fully embrace technology, including better use of AI.
“The public service needs to get better at organising itself around the needs of citizens and businesses,” Roche said. “Our system is too fragmented with too many departments of various sizes. This leads to complexity, and cost, that is too often felt by the public. I think we need to reduce this complexity.”
Read more: Exclusive Global Government Forum research reveals five pillars of a modern civil service
Roche sets out reform principles
Principles for reform include potentially merging or clustering agencies around common platforms, citizens and businesses, or markets, while delivering a digital vision for government that incorporates a digital front door for government, and does more to incorporate data to deliver better services.
Roche, who is attending Global Government Forum’s Global Government Summit in Singapore on 20 and 21 January, said: “We know that we need to increase our digital capability if we are to catch-up to other jurisdictions. Investments which better integrate data and analytics can contribute to significant, and measurable, improvements in outcomes. We need to better harness this.
“We also need to better recognise the role that artificial intelligence and data more generally will play. It can enable a smarter, more responsive public service, freeing people to focus on higher-value work. But we must manage its risks and ensure strong oversight.”
The report outlines a reform path based on what the report calls the five conditions for a successful public service. These are:
- People and leadership: A skilled, diverse, and committed workforce; visionary, ethical, and reform-minded leadership; institutional memory and leadership continuity.
- Systems and technology: Digitised, resilient services and back-office systems; data-driven, user-centred service design and delivery; systems and processes which enable delivery, not obstacles to work around.
- Culture and innovation: Evidence-based advice and decision-making; a culture of learning, innovation, and adaptive capacity; a place where experimentation and continuous improvement is encouraged.
- Trust, transparency and integrity: Openness and access to information; clear standards, clearly upheld and demonstrable ethical conduct; public trust through responsiveness and integrity.
- Enabling environment: A society governed by the rule of law; economic stability which supports long-term planning; strong partnerships across civil society, private sector and iwi/Māori.
Roche said that globally, successful organisations embrace technology and innovation as tools to navigate complexity and the public service is no different.
“We can’t simply keep doing what we’ve always done. Nor can we create a single plan and expect it to never change. We need adaptive strategies but also a clear sense of direction. This report presents my view of what this looks like for the New Zealand Public Service,” he concluded.
Global Government Forum’s Making Government Work research sets out the key characteristics needed in a modern public service, with priorities ranging across leadership, digital service delivery, workforce development, cross-departmental integration, and citizen trust. Read the full report to find out more.
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