Strategic direction

See also:  Business Strategy of the State Services Commission

From the Commissioner's 'Introduction' to the Statement of Intent 2012-2016.............

This year we proudly mark 100 years of Public Service in New Zealand. From 1912 the Public Service has provided a professional and politically neutral service for New Zealanders and the government of the day.

Today the State Services Commission continues to champion these important values and provide leadership for the State sector. With the other central agencies – the Treasury and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet – we work across the system with agencies to improve their performance and the quality of services they deliver to New Zealanders.

With a forecast of ongoing fiscal restraint the Government and public’s expectations around service delivery continue to rise. It is a time of significant and ongoing change: the Commission and agencies are rethinking and re-gearing how they operate to meet these expectations. Together we are focused on delivering better services with a sharp focus on priority results.

To provide better services now and in future, agencies must be responsive to a range of social, economic and technological shifts. Momentum is building; agencies have begun to work across the system, and with sector partners, to achieve results that make a difference but cost less to deliver.

The Commission’s role in this change is to work with Ministers and leaders across the State Services to set the direction for the system. Our job is to identify medium- to long-term results and hold leaders to account for their progress on achieving them. We do this by:

• developing stronger Public Service leadership through the effective recruitment, expectation setting and performance management of Public Service chief executives and senior leaders
• advising Ministers and focusing leaders on the best models for the integration, governance and organisation of public services, including working with agencies to develop analysis to support governance for redesigned service delivery models
• identifying critical system capability needs to lift overall performance and ensuring we model the results we want for the system through our own practices
• working with senior leaders, using tools like the Performance Improvement Framework, to deliver the most for New Zealand
• identifying emergent risks to the trust and integrity of the system, including strengthening trust and integrity frameworks and setting the levels of transparency of the system as required by New Zealanders.

In a short period of time the Commission has transformed its work programme and is now working at pace to lead the system and support agencies to lift their performance to make real progress toward the results they are responsible for.

By working closely with Ministers, sectors and agencies, our goal is to help government achieve results that improve the lives of New Zealanders.

Iain Rennie │ State Services Commissioner
April 2012