Source: New Zealand Government
Good afternoon everyone and thank you all for making the time to be here.
I wanted to speak to you early in my tenure as your new Minister for the Public Service because I have a message for you: I’m here to support you in your efforts to deliver the best service possible for the employer we have in common. The taxpayer.
I’m very happy to have the public service portfolio and I want to acknowledge your hard work and commitment during what has been a challenging past year for many, as ministries and departments have been right-sizing.
We know it is the right thing to do, to run a ruler over everything we do to make sure we are delivering our best, but 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. I know. I have had to do it.
It’s not something the government has done lightly but it is something that absolutely needed to be done.
In the six years from 2017 to 2023, the number of people employed in the core public service* grew 34 percent, to 63,117 full-time equivalent employees. Total salary costs for this core public service workforce grew a staggering 72 percent, to about $6.1 billion a year, over the same period.
We simply do not have sufficient taxpayers to support that kind of growth. We do not have sufficient economic growth to support that level of public spending.
And, as I said before, taxpayers pay our wages, and it is the New Zealand taxpayers that we serve. They want to know we are spending their money in ways that are timely and cost-effective.
New challenges, new solutions
We live 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.
I don’t need to tell you the business of government is complex and challenging and, at times, messy.
And when you are knee-deep trying to deliver priorities and the myriad daily challenges that come with the job, it’s not easy looking ahead.
I know you’ve heard all this before. But my point is this: the more complex and challenging it gets, the more simple we need to keep it.
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.
Setting the highest standards
It almost goes without saying that the public service must set the highest standards.
For me, that means doing the basics well and sticking to core business. It means being competent at what you do, upholding political neutrality and delivering free and frank advice, being efficient with taxpayers’ money, being corruption-free and – above all – delivering results for the people we serve.
Keeping it simple is also being efficient and respectful with the use of taxpayers’ money. Taxpayers trust us to use their resources wisely, and we can not, in the fog of daily pressures and challenges, lose sight of that.
Here’s a simple question I would urge you and your staff to ask themselves: if this was my money, would I spend it this way? This is the simple question that I ask myself when I am making funding decisions. It’s what I need you to do and to enforce.
Think of the sharemilker up at the crack of dawn every day whatever the weather. Think of the aged care worker doing their best to give our elderly the care and respect they deserve in their twilight years. Think of the bus driver. The taxi driver. The truck driver.
All these people want – and deserve – to know that their money is being spent in a way that delivers the services they need in the best way possible. They want results. They don’t want flow charts, frameworks, roadmaps, or bubble diagrams.
They are inherently practical people who want to know that you are helping make their country wealthier, and safer. They want you to treat their taxpayers’ dollars as though it came out of your bank account.
Not doing so can harm the reputation of the government, an agency and the public service. Building trust and confidence, as you know, is a slow and laborious task over many years. But it can be destroyed with one seemingly innocuous act.
Free and frank
To that end, I cannot state clearly enough how important it is that you provide free and frank advice.
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.
And remember that Ministers, just like senior public servants, have a way of coming back!
The best public servants know how to use analysis to persuade. They know how to reconcile the vision with realism. And they know how to square the hole. I’ve worked with some fine public servants … some of you here.
Public Service Act
One area of opportunity I want to touch on is the Public Service Act. I think it’s too prescriptive. It’s not allowing the public service to be as innovative as it could be.
I intend to look at tightening what the Act says around chief executive responsibilities. The way I see it is that your responsibilities have become too diffuse and roles have become confused. Instead of telling you that you have to comply with certain named laws brought in by a previous government, why not just require you to implement the law. Laws change. Standards should not.
Coming back into government, it 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.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. What changes can we make to the Act that will help you do your job better? What are the barriers to you doing your job? 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.
I know the Prime Minister and Minister Willis have asked you to be bold and take a few risks. I’d like to reinforce that. Freedom to fail (hopefully in a small way) can give us freedom to succeed.
Innovation isn’t just a nice-to-have – 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. As Benjamin Franklin said, ‘well done is better than well said.’ That’s the culture I’d like to see in the public service.
Open to new ideas
I can assure you the Government is open to new ideas. My only condition is that it leads to better outcomes for the public. That’s tangible results.
And the language you use needs to be fit for the person who is your customer. As a lawyer in private practice, I learned to explain legal terminology in everyday language.
If I talked to customers about the ‘mens rea’ and the ‘actus reus’ required for an offence to have been committed, I would have shown them I know some ‘legal’ Latin, and they might have been impressed. But really, I would just be showing them that I did not understand the first rule of communication -which is to be understood.
You and your staff need to think about your customers. When you are talking to or writing to your customers, think how it sounds to them.
Is it gobbledygook?
Is it a word salad?
Is it arrogant and lacking in empathy?
Is it inherently distancing you from the people who are paying your salary?
My suggestion is to leave the acronyms at the door.
Keep your superior language skills for those who will appreciate them.
Be appropriate. And remember… it’s no use if you can understand you, but your audience can not. Speak to people as you would like to be spoken to and show respect. And, no matter what, be genuine.
Digitising government
As you know, I am also the Minister for Digitising Government. It’s a portfolio that goes hand in glove with the public service.
The use of data and Artificial Intelligence is the big opportunity of our time. We stand at the cusp of a digital revolution that has the power to transform the way our government serves New Zealanders.
If done right, the digitisation of our public service will be game changing, and I am committed to ensuring this happens.
Online portals, mobile applications and AI-enabled interfaces will ensure people and businesses can access important government services and information, anytime and from anywhere.
Data-driven AI technologies will allow government agencies to tailor services to meet the specific needs of individuals, communities and businesses.
New Zealanders already interact with AI-powered services daily. They expect government agencies will be analysing data to gain insights into customer behaviour, preferences and needs.
I’d like to see the public service embrace the potential of AI.
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.
Data dashboards and predictive analytics will provide the insight and evidence Ministers need to make better decisions and timely interventions to improve outcomes.
In modernising our public service for the benefit of New Zealanders, think about how we can, in digital procurement, help Kiwi businesses deliver. Other countries are looking to how they can use procurement as a way to deliver better and more cost effective results by emphasising their own industrial or technology base. When it makes sense, we should too.
Say Yes
The work you do is vital. New Zealanders depend on it, and on our ability to drive the change required.
We have to deliver results. 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.
As the Prime Minister has made clear, a culture of saying No is not acceptable. Your challenge is 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.
New Zealanders should be treated as though they are valued customers with options. That’s what we need to deliver. Treat the taxpayer with dignity and the level of respect that you like to receive.
I know you are up for the challenge. But performance is non-negotiable.
I know how hard you work. And you are doing some great work. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take opportunities to reset and ensure our focus is on what matters most – delivering better, more timely results for New Zealanders.
I’m excited to be your Minister, and I’m excited at the prospect of what we can achieve together. And I have full confidence in each of you as leaders of our public service.
As we move forward together, let’s remember who we serve and how our work impacts the lives of New Zealanders.
With hard work, innovation, courage and a shared sense of purpose, we have the power to create a public service that is not only effective, but transformative.
I look forward to working with Sir Brian and you to drive the change that is required.
Thank you.
** The core Public Service are departments and departmental agencies only. It excludes the wider public sector, such as defence personnel, police, teachers and public healthcare workers.
