7 September 2018
The proposed reform of the Public Sector Act is welcome but the time allowed for consultation needs to be extended, says
the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ).
The reform consultation was announced by the Minister for State Services, Hon Chris Hipkins, at the launch event at
Parliament on Tuesday. On Thursday, IPANZ held a seminar about the proposed reform with speakers Peter Hughes (State
Services Commissioner), Professor Jonathan Boston (School of Government, Victoria University) and Erin Polaczuk (PSA
National Secretary).
IPANZ President Dr Jo Cribb who facilitated the discussion said, “With about 100 people attending, there’s a
demonstrated interest in these proposals. The audience posed questions about values and behaviours for the public
sector, whether the Act would go far enough to recognise Maori partnership and values, and how objective the
‘appointment on merit’ principle could be.”
“It’s the first substantive reform in the Public Sector for 30 years and the changes could be quite profound. The time
period for consultation is only six weeks – this should be extended to allow for everyone to have their say.
“If we believe in the importance of the public service and the critical role it plays in improving the quality of New
Zealanders’ lives, we all have something to contribute to the reform of the structures that underpin our public
service,” Dr Cribb says.
The Public Sector Act Reform consultation is available at: www.havemysay.govt.nz
ends