SSC - Glossary

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Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Accountability system - The systems of planning, monitoring and reporting by which the work of departments and Crown entities is specified in advance, and organisations and chief executives are held accountable for its delivery.

Agency - Synonym for 'organisation'. A blanket term that includes departments, Crown entities, Offices of Parliament, the Reserve Bank or any other type of organisation. For the purposes of the State Services Commissioner's machinery of government functions, 'agency' does not include an agency in the private sector.

All-of-government - A term with several broad shades of meaning, depending on context. For example, it may mean:

'vertical alignment': single agency, multi-agency, sectoral or inter-sectoral alignment with government's broader goals and objectives;
'horizontal alignment': inter-agency or inter-sectoral planning, or integrated service delivery;
a 'whole of government direction' given under the Crown Entities Act 2004 by the Ministers of State Services and Finance to one or more categories of Crown entities, or to one or more types of statutory entity, for the purpose of both:
- supporting a whole of government approach; and
- improving public services, either directly or indirectly;
a reference to all the constituent parts of the Executive Government of New Zealand;
a reference to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the Government of New Zealand;
a reference to all the agencies collectively of 'central government' and 'local government'. Synonymous in this sense with 'public sector'.

Autonomous Crown entity (ACE) - A Crown entity that must have regard to government policy when directed by the responsible Minister. One of the three types of statutory entities (see also Crown entity; Crown agent and independent Crown entity)

Capability - What an organisation needs (in terms of access to people, resources, systems, structures, culture and relationships), to efficiently deliver the outputs required to achieve the Government's goals.

Capability, Accountability and Performance (CAP) Pilot - The CAP pilot was a project to try out new tools and approaches for improving the performance of departments. The project ran from 1999 to 2001.

Central agency - A term for the State Services Commission, The Treasury or the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, in their co-ordinating roles. The central agencies act as the 'corporate office' of the Government.

Central Government - The legislative and executive arms of Government, i.e. Parliament and its offices, Cabinet, and the State Services. Those elected in triennial general elections and the institutions directly accountable to them, whose authority covers the entire country. As distinct from 'local government'.

Centre, The - An imprecise term denoting the people, institutions and arrangements that determine the direction of the State sector, exercise control over it or monitor it. There is no single definition of 'the centre' and its meaning changes depending on the context in which it is used: in discussing a single organisation, the centre might mean head office, or the senior management group; in discussing the State sector, the centre might mean the Cabinet and the central agencies, and the monitoring department.

Code of conduct - A written document issued by a legitimate authority setting out minimum standards of integrity and conduct. Under the State Sector Act, the State Services Commissioner may issue a code or codes of conduct for the Public Service, most Crown entities and certain other agencies in the State sector. 'Standards of Integrity and Conduct' - a code of conduct for the State Services - is published at www.ssc.govt.nz . (This code supersedes the Public Service Code of conduct.)

Conduct - The actual behaviour and actions of public servants.

Cross-cutting - Involving or affecting the work of more than one agency.

Crown agent - A Crown entity that must give effect to government policy when directed by the responsible Minister. One of the three types of statutory entities (see also Crown entity; autonomous Crown entity and independent Crown entity)

Crown company - The term Crown company is best avoided, as it is not an official or accurate term. See Crown entity company and SOE.

Crown entity - A generic term for a diverse range of entities within 1 of the 5 categories referred to in section 7(1) of the Crown Entities Act 2004, namely: statutory entities, Crown entity companies, Crown entity subsidiaries, school boards of trustees, and tertiary education institutions. Crown entities are legally separate from the Crown and operate at arms length from the responsible or shareholding Minister(s); they are included in the annual financial statements of the Government.

Crown entity companies - One of the five categories of Crown entity. A company incorporated under the Companies Act 1993 that is wholly owned by the Crown and named in Schedule 2 to the Crown Entities Act 2004.

Crown entity subsidiaries - One of the five categories of Crown entity. These are companies incorporated under the Companies Act 1993 that are wholly or majority controlled by another Crown entity or Crown entities

Crown Research Institute (CRI) - Crown Research Institutes are Crown entity companies established to undertake scientific research and related activities in accordance with the Crown Research Institutes Act 1992.

Crown-owned company (CROC) - The term Crown-owned company (CROC) is best avoided as it is not an official or accurate term. See Crown entity company and SOE.

Delegation - The act of a senior official conferring, usually by means of a signed document, some of his/her powers to a subordinate, and specifying the conditions on which those powers may be exercised by the subordinate. 'Delegation' is also sometimes used to denote the powers delegated, and the document in which they are described.

Department - A generic term for a diverse range of agencies that serve as instruments of the Executive Government of New Zealand, as well as some agencies in the legislative branch of government (i.e. the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives) and that, together with all Ministers of the Crown and the Sovereign, legally constitute the "Crown". See also Public Service and Non Public Service department.

Departmental Forecast Report (DFR) - The Departmental Forecast Report (DFR) describes what a department intends to provide in the coming financial year and the financial implications as agreed with the department's Minister(s). The reports are presented to Parliament at the same time as the Budget. Statements of Intent have replaced DFRs.

Devolution - A transfer of authority from central government to local government or to a community organisation. Often refers to a community organisation taking over responsibility for making decisions on delivery of a service previously the responsibility of a central government agency.

E-government - E-government is government agencies working together to use information and communications technology so that they can better provide individuals and businesses with government services and information.

Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) - An Equal Employment Opportunities programme is defined in the State Sector Act 'as a programme that is aimed at the identification and elimination of all aspects of policies, procedures and other institutional barriers that cause or perpetuate ' inequality in respect to the employment of any person or group of persons'. Chief executives are responsible for implementing EEO policies within Public Service departments, while the Commission is responsible for promoting, developing and monitoring EEO policies and programmes for the Public Service. EEO requirements vary in agencies in the wider State sector, depending on their particular legislation.

Estimates of Annual Appropriations for the Government of New Zealand ('Estimates') - The title of the Government's request for appropriations (money) presented to the House of Representatives. The Estimates are a statement of the proposed expenses and liabilities to be incurred by the Crown or the Crown's proposed expenditure of public money prepared in accordance with the Public Finance Act. The Estimates presented at Budget time are known as the Main Estimates. Supplementary Estimates may be presented later in the financial year.

Good employer - A good employer is defined in the State Sector Act as 'an employer who operates a personnel policy containing provisions generally accepted as necessary for the fair and proper treatment of employees in all aspects of their employment'. All chief executives of Public Service departments are required to operate personnel policies that comply with good employer principles (listed in s. 56 of the State Sector Act 1988). The Commission is responsible for promoting personnel policies and standards, and monitors their achievement in the Public Service.

Human Resource Capability survey (HRC survey) - The HRC survey collects a wide range of information about people employed in Public Service departments as at 30 June each year. The information is reported to Cabinet and departments, and informs State Services Commission advice on capability issues. This survey replaced the Yearly Employment Survey (YES) in 2000.

Impact evaluation - An evaluation that links changes in outcomes to specific interventions, activities, services or outputs.

Independent Crown entity - A Crown entity that is generally independent of government policy. One of the three types of statutory entities (see also Crown entity; autonomous Crown entity and Crown agent)

Input - The resources (e.g. money, people, information technology) used by departments to produce outputs, which will achieve the Government's stated outcomes.

Integrity - A core value that underpins many of the standards that are often reflected in a code of conduct. Integrity has many shades of meaning, but is usually considered as a personal quality (e.g. freedom from corruption) or in a moral sense (i.e. soundness of moral principle, especially in relation to the truth and fair dealing). The State Services Commissioner's interests in integrity and conduct concern the behaviour and actions of individual State servants and board members in terms of how their behaviour impacts on:

integrity in the use of public power or the performance of their agency's functions;

their agency's relationship with Ministers; and

the public's trust in government.
See Values.

Intermediate outcome - See Outcomes

Intervention - An action or activity intended to enhance outcomes or otherwise benefit an agency or group.

Intervention logic - A systematic and reasoned evidence-based description of the links between outcomes and outputs. Intervention logic helps management relate their organisational activities to agency outcomes.

Key government goals - Key government goals are the Government's 'high-level' goals for New Zealand. Their purpose is to provide a clear frame of reference to guide public sector policy and performance. The current key government goals to guide the public sector in achieving sustainable development are available on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

Key performance indicators - Key performance indicators (KPIs) are indicators or measures of the major areas of performance of an organisation.

Leadership Development Centre (LDC) - The LDC is a charitable trust with a board of trustees elected from Public Service chief executives who subscribe to the LDC. Its mission is to support the State Services Commissioner and chief executives in the development of managers and leaders to be potential candidates for appointment to chief executive and senior positions by providing trusted advice and arranging customised, effective, high quality development activities. Website: www.ldc.govt.nz/

Local Government - Local government in New Zealand currently (March 2005) consists of 86 local authorities,
i.e.

12 regional councils, and

74 territorial authorities (16 city councils, 57 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council).
Each local authority is autonomous and is accountable to the community it serves. As distinct from 'central government'.

Non-Public Service department - A small number of agencies (six as at March 2005) that are Departments for the purposes of the Government reporting entity under the Public Finance Act, but which are not listed in the First Schedule to the State Sector Act and therefore are not part of the Public Service. See also Department and Public Service.

Office of Parliament - The primary function of an Office of Parliament is to act "as a check on the Executive, as part of Parliament's constitutional role of ensuring accountability of the Executive" (Finance and Expenditure Committee report, 1989). An Office of Parliament is part of the legislative branch of government and must only discharge functions which the House of Representatives itself, if it so wished, might carry out.

Outcomes - Outcomes are the impacts on, or the consequences for, the community of the outputs or activities of government. In common usage, however, the term 'outcomes' is often used more generally to mean results, regardless of whether they are produced by government action or other means. An intermediate outcome is expected to lead to a end outcome, but, in itself, is not the desired result. An end outcome is the final result desired from delivering outputs. An output may have more than one end outcome; or several outputs may contribute to a single end outcome.

Output agreement/output plan - See Purchase Agreement

Outputs - Goods or services delivered.

Ownership - The Crown's core interests as 'owner' can be thought of as:

Strategy - the Crown's interest is that each state sector organisation contributes to the public policy objectives recognised by the Crown;
Capability - the Crown's interest is that each state sector organisation has, or is able to access, the appropriate combination of resources, systems and structures necessary to deliver the organisation's outputs to customer specified levels of performance on an ongoing basis into the future;
Performance - the Crown's interest is that each organisation is delivering products and services (outputs) that achieve the intended results (outcomes), and that in doing so, each organisation complies with its legislative mandate and obligations, including those arising from the Crown's obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi, and operates fairly, ethically and responsively.

Pathfinder - The Pathfinder Project led the development of management for enhanced outcomes. The Project developed a suite of basic techniques, together with practical guidance on developing outcome-based management systems. These management systems go beyond only measuring performance or outcome. Instead, they put outcomes at the heart of business decisions on strategy, the best output mix, capability development, and resource allocation decisions. The project was completed late 2003.

Performance - See Ownership

Principles, Conventions and Practice guidance series (PCP) - The Principles, Conventions and Practice guidance series was a series of essays designed to guide officials on the duties and responsibilities of public servants. The series was published by the State Services Commission in September 1995. While the core messages around ethical behaviours hold good, a considerable amount of content relating to process and practice is no longer current. For this reason these papers have been archived on this website, though can still be retrieved using a search of archived content.

Public Management System - A broad term encompassing the constitutional, legal, institutional and conventional arrangements by which the country is governed, and especially the means by which the policies of the Government are formulated and then implemented by State sector organisations, and the means by which those organisations are governed, funded, managed and monitored.

Public sector - A broad term that refers collectively to the State sector and local government. See also Local Government and State sector.

Public sector employee - A public sector employee is the chief executive or an employee of a State sector organisation or local authority.

Public Sector Training Organisation (PSTO) - The Public Sector Training Organisation (PSTO) serves as an Industry Training Organisation for the State sector. Its mission is to promote improvements in the quality of training and development of employees in the sector. The State Services Commission hosts PSTO, and its staff are Commission employees. The PSTO website is at: www.psto.govt.nz/

Public servant - Everyone who is a chief executive of, or a statutory officer or employee in, a Department in the Public Service is a public servant. Contractors in a Department who are not employees are not public servants. For the purposes of the Electoral Act, "public servant" is defined more broadly, notably including a person employed in the Education Service as defined in the State Sector Act.

Public Service - The New Zealand Public Service consists of the Departments named in the First Schedule to the State Sector Act.
A list of the Departments that comprise the Public Service is published on this website. Look for 'List of State Services and wider State sector organisations', under the navigation heading New Zealand's State Services. See also 'Diagram of State Services and wider State sector organisations'.

Public Service Code of Conduct - The Public Service Code of Conduct was superseded on 30 November 2007 by a new code for the State Services - 'Standards of Integrity and Conduct' (www.ssc.govt.nz/code )

Purchase - In the New Zealand public management model, Ministers are said to purchase (buy) outputs from departments using money voted by Parliament.

Purchase agreement - A purchase agreement is a documented arrangement between a Minister and a department, or other organisation, for the supply of outputs. Some departments piloting new accountability and reporting arrangements now prepare an output agreement. An output agreement extends a purchase agreement to include any outputs paid for by third parties where the Minister still has some responsibility for setting fee levels or service specifications. The Review of the Centre has recommended the development of output plans to replace departmental purchase and output agreements.

Results - Sometimes used as a synonym for 'Outcomes'; sometimes to denote the degree to which an organisation successfully delivers its outputs; and sometimes with both meanings at once.

Review of the Centre - The 2001 Review of the Centre was established by the Prime Minister, the Minister of State Services and the Minister of Finance to review strengths and weaknesses in the public management system and identify proposals for change in order for the State sector to meet more effectively the needs of Ministers and citizens. The Review identified three main areas for change: better integrating service delivery; addressing fragmentation/improving alignment; and enhancing people and culture.

School boards of trustees - One of the five categories of Crown entity. These boards are bodies corporate constituted under Part 9 of the Education Act, including any board designated as a correspondence school.

Senior Executive Service (SES) - The State Sector Amendment Act (No 2) 2004 repealed the provisions in the State Sector Act relating to the development and maintenance of a group of senior executives in the Public Service known as the Senior Executive Service. The provisions had long been inactive. The Amendment Act places new responsibilities on the State Services Commissioner and Public Service chief executives for senior leadership and management capability in the Public Service.

Senior leadership and management development (SLMD) - The SLMD programme develops the infrastructure and institutional arrangements for the development of senior leadership and management talent across the Public Service and the wider State sector.

Six monthly staffing survey (SMOSS) - The Six-Monthly Staffing Survey (SMOSS) has collected human resource information from Public Service departments and selected State sector organisations. The SMOSS was replaced in 1998/99 by a Yearly Employment Survey (YES). In 2000 the YES was replaced by the annual Human Resource Capability Survey.

State Owned Enterprise (SOE) - SOEs are companies listed in the First Schedule of the State Owned Enterprises Act 1986. SOEs operate as a commercial business but are owned by the State. They have boards of directors, appointed by shareholding Ministers to take full responsibility for running the business.

State sector - State sector is the common term for the organisations whose financial situation and performance is reported in the annual financial statements of the Government. The State sector includes:

all the State Services (see State Services)
some departments that are not part of the State Services;
tertiary education institutions;
Offices of Parliament; and
State-owned Enterprises.
See: 'List of State Services and wider State sector organisations', under the navigation heading 'New Zealand's State Services'.

State servant - A term with several shades of meaning:

generally, everyone who is the chief executive of, or an employee in, an agency in the State Services is a State servant (this excludes board members and members of a corporation sole)
for the purposes of the Electoral Act 1993, the stand-down requirement on State servants who stand for Parliament extends to employees in the education service

State Services - State Services is the term for a broad range of organisations that serve as instruments of the Crown in respect of the Government of New Zealand. It consists of: all Public Service departments;

other departments that are not part of the Public Service;

all Crown entities (except tertiary education institutions);

a variety of organisations included in the Government's annual financial statements by virtue of being listed on the Fourth Schedule to the Public Finance Act; and

the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
See: 'List of State Services and wider State sector organisations', under the navigation heading 'New Zealand's State Services'.

Statement of corporate intent (SCI) - The State-Owned Enterprises Act requires every SOE to prepare an annual SCI, which specifies for three years ahead the objectives and activities of the SOE and various financial and other information. After being finalised the SCI is tabled in Parliament

Statement of Intent (SOI) - A document that identifies, for the medium term, the main features of intentions regarding strategy, capability and performance. SOIs are developed after discussion between an entity and its Minister(s). Crown entities on the Sixth Schedule to the Public Finance Act prepare an SOI that covers medium term financial and performance intentions. Afer being finalised, the SOI is tabled in Parliament.

Statement of service performance (SSP) - Government departments, and those Crown entities from which the Government purchases a significant quantity of goods and services, are required to include audited statements of objectives and statements of service performance with their financial statements. These statements report whether the organisation has met its service objectives for the year.

Statutory entities - One of the five categories of Crown entity. Statutory entities are bodies corporate established by or under an Act and are named in Schedule 1 to the Crown Entities Act 2004. There are three types of statutory entities: Crown agents; autonomous Crown entities (ACEs); and independent Crown entities (ICEs).

Strategic business plan (SBP) - Some departments produce a strategic business plan containing similar, but more detailed, information to SCIs and SOIs. SBPs are not tabled in Parliament. The State Services Commission has developed proposals for improving strategic business planning by departments.

Strategy - See Ownership

Subsidiary - See Crown entity subsidiaries

Tertiary education institutions - One of the five categories of Crown entity. TEIs are bodies corporate established under Part 14 of the Education Act, including colleges of education, polytechnics, specialist colleges, universities, and wananga.

Values - The collectively shared principles that guide judgement about what is good and proper. The standards of integrity and conduct expected of public sector officials in concrete situations are often derived from a nation's core values which, in turn, tend to be drawn from social norms, democratic principles and professional ethos.

Yearly Employment Survey (YES) - The Yearly Employment Survey has collected human resource information from Public Service departments and selected other State sector organisations. The YES was replaced in 2000 by the annual Human Resource Capability (HRC) survey. This survey collects a wider range of information on an individual rather than aggregated basis, enabling improved analysis.