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

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