Better Public Services focuses on the State Services working better to deliver improved results for New Zealanders. Better Public Services seeks to retain the strengths of our State services while addressing weaknesses such as fragmentation, government agencies working in silos, and inefficiencies.
The Better Public Services programme was launched by Prime Minister John Key on 15 March 2012. Better Public Services was informed by the Better Public Services Advisory Group report [Treasury update October 2024: External link no longer active], which provided recommendations to the Government in December 2011. The advisory group recommended changes to:
- Manage the public sector less as a collection of individual agencies, each pursuing their own objectives, and more as a system focused on a few priority outcomes that will make a difference for New Zealanders
- Clarify and strengthen leadership capability, and
- Move away from a culture where value-for-money is a secondary consideration, towards an environment where public servants are motivated to continuously innovate and improve.
The aim of Better Public Services is a higher performing and resilient State services that New Zealanders trust, delivering outstanding results and value for money.
Changes are being made in a number of areas:
- 10 Better Public Services Results - the setting of ten publically-reported priority results, that require cross-agency collaboration
- Functional Leadership – to strengthen leadership roles for common functions (including the Cabinet mandated functional leadership roles in information and communications technology, property, and procurement)
- Leadership capability and deployment [Treasury update September 2024: External link no longer active] - a co-ordinated, system-wide approach to developing leadership and capability
- Amendments to the State Sector, Public Finance and Crown Entities Acts – to get the system focussed on delivering results, encourage better value for money and strengthen leadership.
Treasury supports implementation of Better Public Services. Changes to the way government funds cross-agency activity enables Better Public Services. This includes:
- Better Public Services Seed Fund
- Cross-agency funding framework
- Social investment focus in Budget 2015
For more information visit Better Public Services (State Services Commission website).