Statistics New Zealand to start the new year with a new chief Community & Social The New Zealand government has chosen senior public servant Mark Sowden to take over the post of Government Statistician from Liz MacPherson, who announced she… Read more
Why were tourists allowed on White Island? Wednesday December 11, 2019 By Michael Lueck Editors' Picks The tragic events of White Island reiterate that we must be vigilant, and have excellent risk management strategies in place. Perhaps it is time for… Read more
NZ public service trials flexible work policy, on the rise in APS Friday November 29, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins Community & Social Almost half of the New Zealand Public Service has signed up to a flexible work program designed to reduce the gender pay gap, while flexible… Read more
Premium Insights and analysis Ancient perspectives, modern policy: why we need more Indigenous senior public servants, and how strong political leadership could make it happen Monday November 25, 2019 By Stephen Easton Community & Social Public services should have at least the same proportion of people from Indigenous backgrounds as the populations they serve, at all levels, argue 78 senior… Read more
New Public Management: the practical challenges, remedies and alternatives Thursday November 21, 2019 By Pia Andrews Career Advice Treating the public service like a business has become the norm, with the structures, language, practices and incentives inherited from private sector managerialism. We know… Read more
Veterans have poorer mental health than Australians overall. We could be serving them better Thursday November 21, 2019 By Nicole Sadler Defence It’s not surprising we see higher rates of mental illness among veterans compared to the overall Australian population. We should be targeting veterans with a… Read more
Biggest NZ public service shakeup in 30 years closer with scrapped legislation, says minister Wednesday November 20, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins New Zealand The New Zealand public service will soon be equipped to better address the biggest challenges facing governments and the people it serves, according to State… Read more
Premium Interviews Are ministerial staff untamable? Peter Hughes’ creative solution allowing political advisers to do their politics while respecting neutrality of public servants Friday November 8, 2019 By Peter Debus Features New Zealand's State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes sat down with The Mandarin’s Peter Debus to talk the evolution of public sector reform, how it will… Read more
Premium Interviews From rules and manuals, to Better Public Services and a spirit of service: you say you want a revolution, but maybe evolution is better Friday November 8, 2019 By Peter Debus Features State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes sat down with The Mandarin’s Peter Debus to talk about the evolution of public sector reform, how it will build… Read more
Commonwealth adopts new procurement payment policy, encourages states to do the same Thursday November 7, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins Federal Commonwealth government agencies will soon be expected to pay e-Invoices to suppliers within five days, or else pay interest on late payments. Starting from January… Read more
Systemic challenges for digital public sector reform Wednesday November 6, 2019 By Pia Andrews Communications & Technology Pia Andrews looks at some of the systemic challenges that come with working in public sectors, including intrinsic ones — like capability issues, and directive… Read more
Above and beyond for Aotearoa: six NZ public servants receive the ‘mana and prestige’ of PSMs Tuesday November 5, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins New Zealand Six public servants have been recognised for their work in the second year that New Zealand’s Public Service Medals have been awarded. The work of… Read more
Planned burns rather than expensive aircraft will lower the cost of bushfires Wednesday October 30, 2019 By Liza Gelt Australian Capital Territory The NSW Government committed $38 million to four large air tankers in preparation for one of the state’s most dangerous fire seasons. Available for service… Read more
The future of service delivery isn’t in websites or apps — planning for personal AIs Tuesday October 22, 2019 By Pia Andrews Communications & Technology The next wave of dramatic service-channel change is happening right now, and again, people are largely seeing it as a future issue, not for now. Read more
It seems one can question the algorithms: NZ drafts charter for data ethics in the public sector Friday October 18, 2019 By Stephen Easton Communications & Technology New Zealand's government has published a draft "algorithm charter for government agencies" that promises citizens fairness, transparency and accountability around how the government uses data… Read more
