The Office of the Government Accountant was established in 2014 and is led by the Chief Government Accountant.
The objective of the Office is raising awareness, capability, and skills development in strategic financial management (SFM) across the sector and within the Treasury. We also produce the Financial Statements of the Government and Fiscal Forecasts for the Government.
We define strategic financial management as integrating strategy, planning and performance to ensure value is at the heart of everything we do. It enables smart decisions that maximise value for money and outcomes for New Zealanders.
We aim to improve strategic financial management through:
- thought leadership and practical advice on lifting SFM for chief executives, system leaders and Ministers
- interpreting and providing guidance on system settings for performance and accountability to ensure they are fit-for-purpose and support improved performance
- leadership, advice, and support to the Government Finance Profession to ensure that finance professionals play a critical role in delivering cost effective public services (including the Finance Development Programme)
- delivering the Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand and five year Fiscal Forecasts. These are published monthly and annually (for year-end). These provide information on the government’s assets and liabilities, revenue, and cash flows.
We work with the Government Finance Profession, central agencies, other Functional Leads/Heads of Profession, and private sector providers to deliver on our vision that high quality strategic financial management supports performance improvement that delivers value for New Zealanders.