The State Services Commissioner may set standards of integrity and conduct for the State Services by issuing Codes of Conduct for the Public Service, all or any Crown entities (but not tertiary education institutions or Crown Research Institutes), Parliamentary Services and the Parliamentary Counsel Office.

This statutory responsibility places the Commissioner in a leadership role, articulating and reinforcing values and standards in the State Services.

The State Sector Act 1988, which established the management arrangements under which the New Zealand Public Service operates, also reinforces the values on which the New Zealand Public Service and wider State Services are founded.

The State Sector Act in its long title, reinforces that one of its purposes is to maintain appropriate standards of integrity and conduct among employees in the State Services and other agencies.