The 'Accessible State Services Goal', within the wider Development Goals programme, is focused on improving the attention that State Services agencies pay to New Zealanders' expectations and experience of service delivery. If agencies are increasing their capacity to learn from New Zealanders' views of what works, and what does not, in terms of access to services, then those services are more likely to make a difference for, and meet the needs1 of, New Zealanders. (The term 'New Zealanders' used here, and hereafter in the report, includes those who interact with the New Zealand State Services.)
The research project was undertaken as a 'launch and learn' exercise - it was to test how well the method worked, and to report what was said about the state of access to services in Rotorua.
Research and literature reviewed in late 2005 showed that in New Zealand, as in other similar jurisdictions, there are a number of barriers that prevent access to State Services. The Accessible State Services Rotorua research pilot was therefore designed to explore how wide or deep the problem is, at a time when there are many known government initiatives in train to improve access.
This report presents a summary of the responses provided to the State Service Commission's (SSC's) Rotorua pilot research team. It includes responses from interviews with State Services agency staff and intermediaries, as well as experiences and perceptions relayed by the focus group participants. The report complements the State of the Development Goals Report 20062.
The responses provided in this report do not represent the SSC's views, and no conclusions have been drawn on the state of access to State Services in either Rotorua or New Zealand. Instead, the report presents a wide range of views on the extent to which the Rotorua community is able to access State Services and the extent to which agencies make those services available to the community.
