State Services Commission, April 2010. To print or download this fact sheet, use the PDF version attached above.

Key Facts

• The overall service quality score for the services in the Passports & Citizenship group was 75, well above the survey average of 69. This was an improvement of two points from 2007.
• Three of the four services in this group improved on their 2007 scores. Registering a birth, death, marriage or civil union had a statistically significant increase, improving to 75 (from 72 in 2007).
• The Passports & Citizenship group showed the biggest improvements of all service groups for the following drivers of satisfaction: It's an example of good value for tax dollars spent, Your individual circumstances were taken into account and You were treated fairly.
• Among Māori, the service quality score for Registering a birth, death, marriage or civil union declined substantially.

Introduction

The overall service quality score in 2009 for the Passports & Citizenship group was 75, an increase of two points on 2007. Once again, the group as a whole performed very well compared to the survey average of 69. Three of the four services had improvements on their 2007 scores. Registering a birth, death, marriage or civil union had a statistically significant increase, improving to 75 (from 72 in 2007). A visa or permit to work in New Zealand once again had the lowest score in the group with 63, which was the same score as in 2007.

Fig 1: Overall service quality scores for the Passports & Citizenship group, 2007-2009

Comparisons with Canada

Since 1998, service quality with passports in Canada has fluctuated a little, but generally decreased. In New Zealand, passports have started well, with a small increase in service quality between 2007 and 2009. Service quality with Registering a birth, death, marriage or civil union has improved steadily in Canada since 2002, and a big improvement has also been achieved in New Zealand. Citizenship services had a considerable decline in the latest Citizens First survey, but in New Zealand these services improved.

Fig 2: Comparison of service quality scores in Canada from 1998-2007 and New Zealand from 2007-2009¹

Results for Māori and Pacific peoples

The sample sizes for two of the services in this group (Citizenship and A visa or permit to work in New Zealand) were too small to produce meaningful results. Among Māori the service score for A passport decreased from 74 in 2007 to 72 in 2009. For Registering a birth, death, marriage or civil union, there was a sizeable and statistically significant decline in satisfaction among Māori, from 75 in 2007 to 62 in 2009. Satisfaction with this service decreased more than any other service among Māori, and the result is in contrast to the improvement that was observed in the general population. The score for this service among Pacific Peoples (69) was also lower than the survey average.

Fig 3: Comparison of service quality scores for Passports & Citizenship services between Māori and the survey average, 2007-2009

Performance against the drivers of satisfaction

The Passports & Citizenship group had mixed results against the drivers, with big improvements on four drivers and smaller declines on two. Passports & Citizenship showed the biggest improvements among all service groups in It's an example of good value for tax dollars spent (up 16 points to 36), Your individual circumstances were taken into account (up 16 points to 71) and You were treated fairly (up nine points to 79).

Fig 4: Performance against the drivers of satisfaction for Passports & Citizenship services, 2007-2009

How can these results be improved?

The Passports & Citizenship group showed the biggest improvement of all service groups on It's an example of good value for tax dollars spent. However, Passports & Citizenship still has the lowest score for this driver of all service groups. The biggest decline in the group was on Staff were competent.

To make improvements on the service quality score in the next Kiwis Count survey, the following strategies should be considered:

• Improve public awareness of the services an agency provides.
• Provide better information to the public concerning expenditure of public monies. This information should be accessible and easy to understand.
• Ensure staff are skilled in explaining processes and informing people of their entitlements. Consider a tailored approach for client groups that have difficulty understanding English.

For more information

Visit the SSC website:

www.ssc.govt.nz/nzers-experience

or email:

newzealanders.experience@ssc.govt.nz

¹ Some of the services included in the Citizens First surveys do not completely align with the services in Kiwis Count