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Kia ora koutou

With the plethora of fascinating information relevant for the public service available, it is always a challenge (and pleasure) to decide what to share with you. 

We take notice of ideas from our members and this week we have included a lighthearted article about “nudging” which we found in a source recommended by one reader. Thanks!

The Public Service Act is top of mind as we move into implementation. In this e-update, collaboration and stewardship are at the forefront, and we will pursue these two subjects in multiple ways in the next six months. 

In the “what we are reading section”, we quote the work by Koi Tū on capacity in the public sector to do futures work, and the future challenges for the public sector. We link to the full paper. 

We also give you a good framework for thinking about futures.

Shenagh Gleisner, Executive Director

Latest News

All Westminster Systems Confront the Principle of Ministerial Responsibility 

Recently we shared a brief explanation of ministerial responsibility. On that subject, you may have followed the challenges in the UK system around the exam fiasco and the Public Health England failures.  Two very senior public servants resigned from the education sector and official structures were dismantled in the health sector.

In this blog from the Institute of Government the author briefly describes the circumstances. Two quotes struck us as particularly relevant:

“requiring a permanent secretary [the equivalent of a public service CE] to step down does not remove the responsibility from Minister” and

“taking responsibility is not the same as achieving effective accountability …. When it works well, accountability is not just about apportioning blame, but promoting improvement in how government works, promoting citizens’ confidence in their government and increasing the wider legitimacy of the public sector”.

Nudging and Social Marketing

Our members have shown some interest in the notion of “nudging”. Writers on this subject point out that there are multiple forces impacting decision making. People make decisions for example by habit, or impulse, irrational or rational thinking.  Experts argue that it is possible to use nudges to influence behaviour but that individual nudges might not be sufficient to create more extensive social change.

This article gives some nice examples of effective nudges — you will be able to think of more that influence your behaviour. It also describes an effective social marketing campaign in Thailand focusing on family planning and HIV/Aids prevention, with a many references to condoms, which won a Gates award for population health.

This short article might make you think (both positively and negatively!) about the public service role in encouraging social change.

Co-Design and Enabling Innovation in the Public Sector

The co-design process for the Healthy Homes initiative in Auckland was a collaboration between the Southern Initiative, the Ministry of Health and many other partners.

This case study clearly illustrates a co-design process that underpinned the initiative. However, it is fundamentally a story about building relationships. It is not principally about applying a methodology — it is about relating differently.

Key steps in the process included:

• Multiple stakeholders producing ideas, all shared with the families involved
• Then protyping using a "safer to try, safer to fail approach"
• And then testing, learning and experimentation - "learning by doing"

Some vital drivers of success included:

• A profound shift in power dynamics to whanau and frontline workers
• A relentless commitment to the outcomes that mattered to whanau
• A space for learning outside the traditional contract structures
• Funding enabling the build of capacity for people to operate differently
• Local government enabled to act as an effective innovation partner

This was a challenge that was beyond the capacity or responsibility of any one organisation. With our new legislation it is ever more important that public sector professionals learn about what underlies success.  This process took place up to 2018 and the positive impacts two years later include:

• whānau are at the centre of decision-making
• links between different parts of the housing and health sectors are strengthened
• work with private landlords and property managers to achieve outcomes

Connections with Strangers ("weak ties"), Improves Well-being 

We know the positive value of close and supportive relationships with our family, whanau, and friends. What is less well known is the positive impact on wellbeing of what is called "weak ties" — those encounters with the person who serves you coffee or that smile and quick exchange with the person on the bus. Lockdown and social distancing have diminished opportunities for these encounters, and could be contributing to increased depression, loneliness and even physical illnesses.

Is the value of “weak ties” built into various areas of policy making at a central and local government level? This brief article from the Bennett Institute in Cambridge outlines the evidence.

Keeping the Public''s Trust and Confidence

The Auditor-General writes eloquently on public accountability with a focus on the trust and confidence of New Zealanders in the public service. It is legitimacy and buy-in from New Zealanders that gives the public service licence to operate.

He also focusses on stewardship in the public service legislation and how public accountability could change accordingly; and he asks the public service to show how it is achieving outcomes for New Zealanders.

These are matters of great interest to IPANZ, so Shenagh Gleisner recently spoke with the Auditor General to explore these topics for the latest issue of the Public Sector Journal. You can read that interview here.

Also from the Public Sector Journal ...

The latest issue of the Public Sector Journal has some great articles on important topics such as: establishing a regulatory profession in the public service; artificial intelligence in the public sector; the journey to enhance cultural competence; and much more. We hope you’re enjoying dipping into it!

Anyone who is employed at any of our member agencies is entitled to the benefits of being a member of IPANZ, including receiving the Public Sector Journal.

So if you’re part of a member organisation and haven’t received your electronic copy, email us at admin@ipanz.org and we’ll add you to our database.

Not sure if your organisation is a member? Check the list of member organisations on our website.

Find out more about H2R here

upcoming events

Public Sector Reputation 2020 - WEBINAR, 22 September, 12.30-1.30pm

The reputations of public sector agencies reached record highs as the COVID-19 crisis struck earlier this year, according to the Colmar Brunton annual Public Sector Reputation Index. However, we know how quickly reputation can be lost, particularly if agencies fail to deliver positive experiences at a time of unprecedented demand.

In this session, Edward Langley, Colmar Brunton Research Director, will discuss what the study showed New Zealanders think are the most important factors for shaping high Public Sector reputation. He will also talk about how the public are responding differently in the post-lockdown environment, including their openness to, and scrutiny of, Public Sector messaging.

We will also hear from Rhys Jones, Chief Executive of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ). FENZ took the top spot in 2020 for the fifth year running. It is rated most highly overall, and across each of the four pillars that shape reputation — trust, social responsibility, leadership, and fairness. This comes at a time, however, when the service is under scrutiny for bullying and harassment.

Find out more and register here.

Caring for our Communities - An All of Government Response to COVID-19, Wellington, 1 October, 1.00-2.00pm

New Zealand has moved swiftly to eliminate the Covid-19 pandemic and its potentially disastrous impacts on the country and its people. A part of the all of government response was a workstream called Caring for Communities, to provide important information and effective support to individuals, whānau and communities at greater risk of experiencing adverse health, social or economic outcomes as a result of the pandemic.

In this session, our speakers will talk about how the response team worked through identifying the communities that needed help, what they understood the communities were experiencing during Covid-19 and what support was required, and how the nationwide response was mobilised.

Speakers from the Office of Ethnic Communities, Immigration New Zealand and the Caring for Communities team will talk about how they worked with their networks to support them with information and resources responsive to the needs of specific communities.

Find out more and register here.

Using Artificial Intelligence - Understanding and Applying, Wellington, 22 October, 12.00-1.00pm

Talking to someone who can make a complex subject clear and simple is a treasure. Hearing Sean Audain talk about AI and the associated technologies is an example of this clarity. IPANZ have therefore asked Sean to talk with our members about the application of AI in the public sector. He will be joined by people in the public sector who have used these technologies to increase impact, and enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

This will be largely an interactive event – we will send you a paper written by Sean before the event so you can familiarise yourselves with some of the terms, concepts and risks. There will be lots of time for you to ask questions, dig into what AI might mean for you and how these technologies might be applied in your setting.

Find out more and register here.

How NZ Police are Winning with Social Media - available on video 

NZ Police have more than 1.7 million social media followers, and have gained national and global attention with the tone and style of their content. IPANZ members recently had the opportunity to hear about how they manage that, and we now have a full recording from that event available on our YouTube page, which you can watch here.

Find out more about The Johnson Group here

what we are reading

Koi Tū has released its discussion paper, titled The Future Is Now: Implications of COVID-19 for New Zealand, which focuses on the long-term challenges and opportunities posed by this hugely disruptive crisis, and how New Zealand’s future can be shaped in an informed and inclusive way.

Koi Tū is the Māori name for the Centre for Informed Futures. The founders of this think-tank express their gratitude to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei for gifting this name, which encapsulates the intent of the Centre.

You may wish to look at the full discussion paper, which raises issues sector by sector. However, with IPANZ''s particular emphasis on the public sector we note very briefly the following:

Page 13: New Zealand will need to look at its capabilities and capacities in foresighting and horizon scanning (outside security and related areas) that might have allowed for better preparation of various sectors for the transformative changes now necessary in the face of major disruption.

Page 17; …. New Zealand has few institutions designed for both the informed foresight and the inspired visioning conversations that are needed now more than ever.

On page 17 the authors list some key questions for the public sector, a few of which we note here:

The crisis will promote reflection, changes and innovation in the public service, just as it is doing in other sectors. In particular, it will hold many lessons, and questions for the policy community. For example,

• Are the methods of sharing and integrating information between siloed ministries and agencies optimal?
• Did we have the right inputs at the right time from the right experts, both from across government and beyond?
• Is there a need to institutionalise private sector liaison approaches?
• Are there trusted data and digital governance oversight arrangements for the public sector, such that the needed data can be accessed and utilised to the best extent possible?
• What problematic procedures and habits of policymaking have been brought to light during the crisis, and what needs to be overhauled in the post-COVID world?

And how to begin to push our thinking about the future? We are grateful to Stephanie Pride for sharing with us a framework which will get your creative and intellectual juices flowing in thinking about future work. It focusses on futures terminology.

You can see the framework here, with notes expanding on each of the areas. We hope to share with you a video with Stephanie talking about the framework in the very near future.

ANZSOG - Education and Research Contribution 

Public sector professionals in New Zealand are fortunate to have agencies dedicated to supporting professional development. The work of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) complements the work of IPANZ with its overall mission of supporting outstanding public sector leadership. ANZSOG runs a range of high quality education programmes aimed to enhance public sector management, which have been adapted to suit the current restrictions on travel. For example, applications are now open for several of ANZSOG''s programmes, including the Executive Master of Public Administration and there are a number of specific workshops and resources available, many of which focus on leadership through crises. ANZSOG has good research backing to inform their resources, such as their research translation series, The Bridge. IPANZ is pleased to promote these training and development resources to you. 

Find out more at anzsog.edu.au

The word “bureaucracy” is often used about the public service, and sometimes with pejorative overtones.

It can imply excessively complicated administrative procedures; the term “faceless bureaucrats” is not uncommon. But surely this stereotype has been countered during the past three months. Maybe the image of the public service now also embodies agility, flexibility, collaboration and responsiveness to New Zealanders, alongside the image of being calm, wise, steady and evidence-based.

What has the public service learnt? Can speed and agility now personify our responses without forgetting the importance of giving time, precision and detailed thought to issues that merit a slower, more deliberate process? Is collaboration across departments, central and local government and public sector, communities and business only relevant in crises? Not at all. Can we stop doing things that we thought were crucial, or will we learn that business as usual has been too neglected?

IPANZ looks forward to seeing how all players in the system, especially the leaders, are going to preserve and expand the great things that have been learnt.

Status quo is very powerful and there will be a danger we revert back to all those things with which we are familiar, but that would be an opportunity lost.

Shenagh Gleisner, Executive Director

Latest News

Engaging Young People in Policy and Practice Development

As Creative HQ Innovation Specialist Sally Hett says in this think piece “young people will be disproportionately affected by decisions made today”. They need a voice in public sector deliberations. Sally introduces a few examples and links to get us all thinking about how we might go about better engagement with young people.

You can read about these ideas on our website here

Learnings from the Lockdown

Kate Prickett from Victoria University was part of a team that conducted a “life under lockdown” survey of over 2,000 New Zealanders. In this data snapshot she focusses on the impact on working parents.

The full results are being presented tomorrow. Have a look at our events notice below.

Voices from Canterbury

As public servants, our role in New Zealand’s economic and social recovery from Covid-19 presents many challenges but also many opportunities. How effectively we respond will, at least in some part, be determined by how well we learn from the experiences of the past.

In the latest issue of our Journal, we talk to people with different roles in the Canterbury region, about the lessons they have learnt about responding to crisis and trauma that could help to shape our future responses.

The article is brimming with wonderful insights and well worth a read. A few thoughts to whet your appetite:

• “Working together is much more efficient, but it’s also quite comforting — nobody’s got all the answers and we have a much better chance of getting the right outcome together.” — Ben Clark, Department of Corrections
• “We need to be really cautious of taking a paternalistic approach — it creeps in unconsciously in approaches that imply some programme or agency is going to look after our communities, when the truth is that communities look after themselves.” — Jim Palmer, Waimakariri District Council
• There’s no way forward without the environment being part of that. We’ve been given quite an amazing opportunity to reconsider the contribution we’re making to its destruction” — Gabrielle Huria, Ngai Tuahuiri hapu.

You can read this article on our website here 

Technology Change, Pandemics, and the Future of Work

Nicholas Green from the Productivity Commission considers the potential impact on our workplaces from Covid-19, building on the work of the Commission into Technological change and the future of work. You can read the article here.

Nicholas lays out a range of economic impacts if New Zealanders retain the preferences for doing things more online. He focusses specifically on how the public sector should think about the issues, and opportunities in all portfolios to improve resilience and service productivity.

The final question in this article asks if Covid-19 could be the shock that sees New Zealand finally lift its game in technology adoption. Let us hope so. Let us also remember, as Nicholas says, that humans are essentially social, so technological adoption will always go alongside face-to-face connection.

Inclusion from Within

In our Journal this month, Anjum Rahman from the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono, wrote an opinion piece for us. It challenges us to think and talk about how the culture and operating models of the public service need to change to become inclusive. In this brief video, she emphasises that the change is quite fundamental to our system, and she asks us to talk together about how to make it happen. The Public Service Act could be a catalyst for this change.

Emotional Intelligence

It is clear that the world needs more emotional intelligence to navigate our collective challenges.  Furthermore, all teams work better with members who understand and manage their own emotions well.

We are pleased to be able to introduce you to a concise and well-researched model on this subject, which will help you to consider your own emotional intelligence. It is hard to fully assess oneself, but it will get you thinking and you can always seek further assistance to more deeply understand yourself and make changes if you wish to. 

Our Executive Director Shenagh met with Shawn Cornet of Co.star Consulting and had a chat with him about emotional intelligence. Have a look at this conversation here

And do dig into the framework which he introduces to us, which you can find here. 

Keeping You Informed on the Progress of the Public Service Legislation Bill

SSC provided us with a brief update on progress with the public service legislation, which you can read here.

Meet the Team

Joan Smith has served IPANZ on and off for close to 50 years — starting out as a local committee representative while working at Lands and Survey in the 70s. She has served twice as President of IPANZ, first in 1985 and then in 1999 and 2000. In 2006 Joan was made a Life Member of IPANZ. Today she is Treasurer of IPANZ.

We have profiled her fascinating career as a trail-blazer for women in the public service in our latest article on the people who make IPANZ tick. You can read about her here.

upcoming events

Effective Engagement with Māori Workshop –

This two-day workshop is designed to help public servants gain a greater understanding of Te Ao Māori (Māori world view) and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and provides practical tools and techniques for effectively engaging with Māori.

The establishment of Te Arawhiti – The Office for Māori Crown Relations, demonstrates the government’s commitment to building strong, ongoing and effective relationships with Māori across all of government. Engagement will go beyond consultation to true partnership. This is your opportunity to grow your capability in engaging with Māori. Dates and locations as follows:

• 22 & 29 July, Wellington – 6 places have just come available on this workshop. You can read more and register here – be in quick to secure your place!

• 25-26 August, Auckland – we are pleased to be bringing this important workshop to our Auckland members. You can read more and register here

• 21 & 28 October, Wellington - places are available on this workshop. Read more and register here

External events

Life Under Lockdown: How Did New Zealanders Experience Lockdown in Terms of Well-Being, Family Functioning and the Labour Market?
Wednesday 24 June, 12.30-1.30pm, Wellington 

Dr Kate Prickett, Director of the Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families and Children, and Drs Michael Fletcher and Simon Chapple, of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, discuss the results of the “Life under lockdown survey” of over 2000 New Zealanders, collected by Colmar Brunton during the Level 4 lockdown.

You can read more here and RSVP for this event to igps@vuw.ac.nz

what we''re reading

Digital Threats to Democracy

It will be no surprise that our minds are turning to the election in September. IPANZ does not engage in political debate; our focus is the public administration system and public sector professionals. The health of the democracy matters to the system and people working in it.

The Workshop along with the Law Foundation and Luminate undertook a research project called Digital Threats to Democracy. The executive summary is a concise read. Although it was completed in 2019, it contains information that remains relevant.

The authors note three core problems presented by digital media to challenge democracy:

• Platform monopolies: two or three corporations controlling content and means of communication
• Algorithmic opacity: influencing our attitudes based on predicting what we already think and therefore solidifying our prejudices
• Attention economy: the amplification of content without taking any responsibility for its impact on our well being.

They move on to consider potential solutions, exploring the evidence about what works to diminish the power of platforms, the proliferation of fake news, overcoming filter bubbles and echo chambers, reducing hate speech and improving critical thinking.

An Initiative in Finland

In relation to the improvement of critical thinking (which assists citizens to recognise fake news and distortions) there have been interesting initiatives in Finland, starting in 2014,  to improve critical thinking to assist young people to understand the environment and change their behaviours. You can read about this here.

Stay in Touch with Us

IPANZ is upping our presence on social media to give you more ways to find out about our events and receive helpful information from us. If you’re not already connected with us, please follow our new page on LinkedIn.

If you found this update useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. We’re always looking to reach more people with our news, events and insights. If you have friends and colleagues in Christchurch or Auckland, we would be particularly happy to hear from them.

And if you’ve received this update indirectly and would like to sign up to our mailing list, email us at admin@ipanz.org.nz

Kia ora koutou

The past months have seen so many challenges, adaptions, successes and opportunities for the future. We touch on some of them in this e-update including trust and social capital, the response of Maori communities during COVID-19, innovation and the role of science.

We are also beginning to focus again on the Public Service Legislation, with an exploration of organisational culture. Culture change will be essential to deliver the aspirations of this legislation.

And the public service definitely can change, and can do it fast with will, motivation and leadership. Public servants rose to the challenges of the past months because we have a modern workforce with a genuine desire to serve the public. Visible, agile professionals working beyond their hours and collaborating across boundaries — old negative stereotypes no longer need endure.

Shenagh Gleisner

Latest News

Achieving Equity for Māori in Health 

Pat Snedden, chair of the Auckland Area Health Board, presented a paper supporting the government to achieve greater equity in health at a recent Board meeting.

Pat has given permission for extracts of this paper to be presented here.

The paper helps to illustrate how new ways of doing things, on the basis of Te Tiriti partnerships, can deliver considerable benefits. We hope the public sector can apply lessons from this example and consider how it might apply in sectors other than health.

Investing in Social Capital 

We look forward to more comment and analysis on social capital in New Zealand. The OECD sees social capital as a strength in New Zealand; their definition being “networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate cooperation within or among groups”.

New Zealand is wealthy in terms of those aspects of our way of being that contribute to social capital such as enduring trust, relationships, and the ability to mobilise collectively to solve problems. It is likely that our comparatively strong social capital helped us do well responding to COVID-19, and perhaps our success in past months has strengthened our social capital further.

It is fragile of course. Social capital requires ongoing use and investment to maintain its value. Capital investment in relation to social capital is distinctive.

As there seems to be a positive association between social capital, productivity and macro-economic outcomes, social capital investment is of interest to all public sector professionals. The Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge has written a working paper on the importance of social capital which you may like to read here.

Systems Thinking in Relation to Local Government 

Our articles about systems thinking in the last e-update obviously struck a chord; we’ve had numerous emails asking for more information.

We attach here a more detailed document on complex systems. It is written by Ron Crawford of the New Zealand Productivity Commission in the context of an enquiry into urban planning. Seeing the concepts and theory laid out, and then applied to one specific area will be of value to many of you, whatever sector you work in.

Our articles in the last e update were a starter for 10 on systems thinking and this well-researched article takes the thinking further.

“However good the science, you need the politics too”

We’ve been learning a lot about the role of science in government as we prepare an article for the next Public Sector journal about our scientific advisors across the public sector and the Prime Minister’s Science Advisor.

We came across this brief and useful article from Nottingham University — it seems similar debates are going on elsewhere of course! We rather like the tongue-in-the-cheek comment “politicians look to scientists to give themselves “nerd immunity”!  Enjoy it.

Innovation Systems for Government

One of the rich aspects of being an Institute of Public Administration is we have relationships with other similar institutes all over the world. We are all different of course, with different key roles and activities, but the subject matter we focus on is common.

To give you one example, reproduced by the Irish Institute, but referring to Canada (we collaborate…..!) here is a very succinct public administration brief about an emerging model for Canada and other countries to assess their own innovation systems and navigate their innovation journeys.

We welcome our members telling us more about their innovation approaches and initiatives here in New Zealand.

Our Year in Review

We held a well-attended and enjoyable IPANZ Annual General Meeting last week, with an excellent presentation from our guest speaker Dr Bryce Edwards from the Democracy Project — talking of scandals, turbulence and focus on personalities around election time all over the world. Watch out for our next Public Sector journal with a full article from Bryce. And if you’d like to take a look at our Annual Report you can find that here.

Meet the Team 

After more than 30 years in the public sector, Anthony Richards remains fascinated by NZ history, politics, policy and democracy and what makes our society tick. He also remains passionate about the role of the public sector — and the role of IPANZ in that.

“I’ve come to see how much I value the kinds of things that IPANZ stands for — an effective public service that is as far as possible meeting the needs of as many people as possible. That involves hard work and discipline and there is an extent to which that is often not understood or appreciated. It is always a work in progress.”

Anthony is the latest member of the IPANZ board profiled in our Meet the Team series. You can read his profile here.

Upcoming event

New Professionals: Building a Resilient Career - WELLINGTON, 5 August, 5.30-7.30pm

This session will provide you with knowledge on the types of skills that new professionals could be looking at to insulate their careers against the shocks of tomorrow — a particularly relevant topic following the COVID-19 shifts in how we work and the overall labour market.

Three panellists will discuss career defining moments such as international experience/moves, surviving the Global Financial Crisis and its comparison to COVID-19, and how to deal with a career change.

Panelists are:

• Lauren Foster - Deloitte – Human Capital Partner, Consulting
• Henry Fyers - Deloitte – Cyber Risk Associate Director, Risk Advisory
• Pouaka Parore – Victoria University of Wellington - Kaiakiaki (engagement adviser)
• Shelley Wood – INSIDE Recruitment - Director

Find out more and register here.

Public Sector Reputation 2020 - WELLINGTON, 14 August, 12.00-1.00pm

The reputations of public sector agencies reached record highs as the COVID-19 crisis struck this year, according to the Colmar Brunton annual Public Sector Reputation Index. However, we know how quickly reputation can be lost.

In this session, Edward Langley, Colmar Brunton Research Director, will discuss what the study showed New Zealanders think are the most important factors for shaping high Public Sector reputation. He will also talk about how the public are responding differently in the post-lockdown environment, including their openness to, and scrutiny of, public sector messaging.

We will also hear from Rhys Jones, Chief Executive of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ). FENZ took the top spot in 2020 for the fifth year running. It is rated most highly overall, and across each of the four pillars that shape reputation – trust, social responsibility, leadership, and fairness. This comes at a time, however, when the service is under scrutiny for bullying and harassment.

Find out more and register here.

Building Effective Engagement Through Social Media - NZ Police Case Study - WELLINGTON, 26 August, 1.00-2.00pm

NZ Police have more than 1.7 million social media followers, and have gained national and global attention with the tone and style of their content. How can we not mention #fridayfloof?!

In this session, Jess Bovey, Senior Social Media Advisor, and Paul Halford, Marketing and Brand Manager will showcase some of their social media, while sharing:

• The drivers and policy behind Police’s social media strategy
• The model they use for social media
• Getting the tone (and content) right
• The challenges for Public Sector agencies using Social Media.

Find out more and register here.

Parliament in Practice - WELLINGTON, 9 September, 9.15am-3.20pm

Parliament in Practice provides attendees with a unique opportunity to learn about the operations of Parliament, from those working within Parliament''s walls, and who are tasked with supporting Parliament. This seminar provides an introductory overview of the roles and functions of Parliament and explores the legislative, select committee and cabinet processes, including a tour of Parliament. It also considers strategies for working effectively with Ministers.

The seminar is designed for departmental and crown entity staff who want to develop an understanding of the functions of Parliament, the passage of legislation, select committee and cabinet processes and working effectively with Ministers.

Find out more and register here.

Effective Engagement with Māori Workshops - FULLY BOOKED

Our Effective Engagement with Māori workshops for the rest of 2020 are now fully booked. We will be announcing dates for 2021 early next year.

what we''re reading

IPANZ has been looking at some of the literature on organisational culture change. Why now? The Public Service legislation is currently going through Parliament. Legislation itself will not have a big impact on some of the key planks of this Act unless culture change takes place in the public service. We will not honour the new Crown/Maori provisions without significant culture change. The extent of collaboration envisaged in the Act needs a change in organisational culture. And the values and principles, though most are not new, will require changes in culture if they are to be truly implemented.

Below is a brief description of organisation culture which nicely outlines the challenge, which we’ve summarised from an article by culture change specialist Torben Rick:

An organisation’s culture is deeply embedded in the system and is therefore extremely difficult to change. Changing an organisation’s culture is one of the most difficult leadership challenges. That’s because an organisation’s culture comprises an interlocking set of goals, roles, processes, values, communications practices, attitudes and assumptions.

Why is an organisation’s culture difficult to change? Here are some reasons why:

• The culture of an organisation is practically its DNA. Culture determines how everything else in the organisation unfolds. As Peter Drucker said: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”
• The organisation and its culture are reciprocal and interdependent: the organisation, its design and strategies influence its overall culture and vice versa
• An organisation’s culture reflects its deepest values and beliefs. Trying to change it can call into question everything the organisation holds dear, often without that conscious intention
• The culture of an organisation is embedded in the entire organisational system. Each little change effects every layer of that system
• Organisational culture evolves over time. An organisation’s identity is based on its culture, which is deeply linked to its history and development

Let’s not forget that organisational culture is like an iceberg with most of its weight and bulk below the surface.

You will undoubtedly have some of your favourite texts on culture change. We have one for you to look at focusing on organisational change in the public sector, in this case in Scotland. The author emphasises that a hierarchical culture presents special challenges, and that inter-agency initiatives have implications for the culture of each distinct agency involved.

In the interests of bringing many different perspectives, we also include an article entirely focused on the private sector, entitled “make your values mean something”. We will really need to make the values in our new public service act show every day, in all of us. So there is something you may be able to draw out of this article.

Stay In-Touch with Us

IPANZ is upping our presence on social media to give you more ways to find out about our events and receive helpful information from us. If you’re not already connected with us, please follow our new page on LinkedIn.

If you found this update useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. We’re always looking to reach more people with our news, events and insights. If you have friends and colleagues in Christchurch or Auckland, we would be particularly happy to hear from them.

And if you’ve received this update indirectly and would like to sign up to our mailing list, email us at admin@ipanz.org.nz

You may well have heard the term ‘ministerial responsibility’ in the past few weeks. You probably heard public servants taking responsibility for the mistakes at our border. You will also have heard the term ‘heads must roll’ in the media. You saw a Minister resign, although who was “responsible” for the mistakes is not clear.

Sheeting home responsibility and blame to one person can often be very hard. A complex system of Ministers, public service departments, individual people within and outside the public service and actions of past governments, often means that responsibility is shared.

There is a convention that Ministers are accountable to Parliament for the actions of their departments, irrespective of whether they had any direct oversight of detailed operations. To enlighten us a little on this, you can read here a background piece on the concept and practice of ministerial responsibility, written for IPANZ by Chris Eichbaum.

Latest News

Cross Cutting Policies - an example from the UK

We attach a brief blog about a cross-cutting strategy in the UK, “the loneliness strategy”.

This blog is written in the shadow of Covid-19, with the author wondering if loneliness might reach epidemic proportions on account of social distancing and self-isolation.

There are some telling comments on cross-cutting strategies (strategies that work across departments, sectors and agencies) — remember such strategies are at the heart of our public service legislation. The author notes that all cross-cutting initiatives have a struggle to maintain momentum and particularly criticises a “tendency to look for public sector-led solutions”.   It is important that we do not fall into the trap of over-centralised planning and implementation.

Trustworthy AI in Aotearoa 

The AI forum recently produced a document outlining some guiding principles for the use of AI in New Zealand. They invite people to be part of the conversation so that we are all better able to manage any of the identified risks and unintended consequences of AI. 

It will be vital for public sector professionals to engage in this conversation. IPANZ will be following this up with articles and events about the practical application of these technologies.

Understanding the principles is a first step. Go straight to page 4 in this little document

Good Practices for Proactive Release of Official Information

Proactive release is when agencies publish official information (usually on the internet) without being asked for it.

Proactive release can inform reasons for decisions, facilitate informed participation in government decision-making and improve public trust and confidence in government.

The Ombudsman has published a new guide that gives good practice recommendations for proactive release, which you can read here. It complements existing guidance by the State Services Commission and the Cabinet Office.

Forces Shaping our Public Service Culture in New Zealand

Our first Wellington lunchtime event following lockdown explored the forces shaping our public service culture in New Zealand, with Nicole Rosie and Dr Kathie Irwin. They gave an insightful and wisdom-packed presentation about our current  culture, how it is influenced by the Westminster system and how we can create positive change, including embracing Te Tiriti O Waitangi as a framework for new possibilities.

For those who couldn''t attend, we''ve recorded the presentations and you can view that here. It''s definitely one that''s worth watching.

Don''t Use the Word "Co-Design" Unless Your Process is Entirely True to its Principles

Co-design is much in vogue as a concept. This word is used much too freely to describe processes which are not genuine co-design. Co-design must involve culturally grounded participatory practices, and so often they do not.

Misuse of the term co-design often occurs when project teams involve people by capturing their experience but fail to involve them in developing and testing improvement ideas, right to the conclusion of the process. There is significant risk if co-design is done poorly.

True co-design involves partnership through every stage of the design process — identifying a challenge, engaging people, capturing experiences, understanding experiences, planning improvements and measuring the impact of changes. Only all of this can produce a process, service or information that works for everyone.

You can find six tips on co-design (particularly relating to the health sector) in this document. This represents a very first step for your thinking.

IPANZ is intending to dig deeper into this vexed topic. We especially wish to explore the work of Māori practitioners in future months, and approaches based in Kaupapa Maori principles.

Parliament Passes a New Privacy Act

The new Privacy Act 2020 replaces the 27-year-old Privacy Act 1993. Here are some of the key areas of change:

• Mandatory notification of harmful privacy breaches.
• Introduction of compliance orders.
• Binding access determinations.
• Controls on the disclosure of information overseas.
• New criminal offences.
• Explicit application to businesses whether or not they have a legal or physical presence in New Zealand.

IPANZ encourages you to look at what this means for public sector professionals by reading more about it here.

Meet the Team - Christine Langdon

Christine Langdon joined the IPANZ team last November as our communications and marketing whizz — helping to transform our e-updates, social media and other communications, including introducing more video content. Christine works with IPANZ only one day a week, it is extraordinary what she achieves is this time and the very positive impact she has had upon us all at IPANZ. Thank you to our lovely Christine.

You can read more about Christine here

upcoming events

Meet the Chiefs: New Professionals Breakfast with Andrew Crisp — Wellington, 22 July, 7.15 - 8.30am

Andrew Crisp, Chief Executive of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, will join the IPANZ New Professionals over breakfast to talk about his career path, highlights and challenges. There will be the opportunity to ask questions and engage with Andrew as well.

Andrew has been Chief Executive of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) since December 2018 (following a brief secondment as acting Chief Executive). He was previously Chief Executive at Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) and has held leadership roles across the public sector, including at The Treasury, Department of Labour, Ministry for the Environment and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

This event is for New Professionals only.  Find out more and register here. 

IPANZ AGM — Wellington, 28 July, 5.15 - 8.00pm

Life members, fellows, members including all staff within our member organisations, and friends are invited to attend IPANZ’s 84th Annual General Meeting in Wellington on 28 July at Deloitte, 12/20 Customhouse Quay Wellington.

The AGM will include a timely and interesting presentation on the state of democracy in New Zealand from guest speaker Dr Bryce Edwards, who runs The Democracy Project — it will be worth joining us at the AGM to hear this presentation alone.

We are seeking nominations to join the IPANZ Board, and specifically looking for the following competencies: governance experience, ability to think strategically, passion for IPANZ''s vision, and demonstrated thought leadership. We are particularly seeking nominations from people that will represent Te Ao Māori, and people living in Auckland. The completed nomination form must be emailed to shenagh@ipanz.org.nz and be received no later than 2pm next Tuesday, 21 July.

The formal AGM will close around 7.15pm and be followed by networking and refreshments.

More information including the notice of Annual General Meeting, the Board Nomination form, Minutes of the 2019 AGM and Proposed Amendments to the Constitution can be found here.

Effective Engagement with Māori Workshop — Auckland, 25 - 26 August

This two-day workshop is designed to help public servants gain a greater understanding of Te Ao Māori (Māori world view) and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and provides practical tools and techniques for effectively engaging with Māori.

Find out more and register here.

Our Effective Engagement with Māori workshops in Wellington in July and October are both fully booked. We will be running this in Wellington again next year so keep an eye out for that.

Parliament in Practice — Wellington, 9 September, 9.15am - 3.20pm

Parliament in Practice provides attendees with a unique opportunity to learn about the operations of Parliament, from those working within Parliament''s walls, and who are tasked with supporting Parliament. This seminar provides an introductory overview of the roles and functions of Parliament and explores the legislative, select committee and cabinet processes, including a tour of Parliament. It also considers strategies for working effectively with Ministers.

The seminar is designed for departmental and crown entity staff who want to develop an understanding of the functions of Parliament, the passage of legislation, select committee and cabinet processes and working effectively with Ministers.

Find out more and register here.

external events

Brokering and Managing Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships — Wellington, 3-6 November

The global Partnership Brokers Association will host their highly sought-after 4-day partnering programme in Wellington, 3-6 November 2020. This unique professional development programme provides those working in or supporting partnerships and collaboration, with in-depth development on how to develop and support them effectively.

Find out more on our website or for further details contact Belinda Gorman, belinda@co-lab.nz.

what we''re reading

Sharing Best Practice on Systems Thinking

Our members have told us they are interested in systems thinking. This is a brief introduction to a definition of systems thinking and the first steps in thinking in this way, from a range of articles we’ve been reading.

How is systems thinking defined?

Systems thinking is a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way that a system''s constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems. According to systems thinking, system behaviour results from the effects of reinforcing and balancing processes. One helpful way of thinking about systems is that the core of the solutions lay not with the constituent parts, but with the interconnections.

Why is it important for the public sector?

Complexity is a core feature of most policy issues today and in this context traditional analytical tools and problem-solving methods no longer work. Systems thinking treats public services as complex adaptive systems and this way of thinking offers an alternative route to developing solutions and increasing system performance. System ideas are most appropriate when dealing with problems that are unbounded in scope, time and resources and enjoy no clear agreement about exactly what a solution would look like or the multiple ways in which it could be achieved.

The starting point is analysing how you think

Starting with each public sector professional, it is vital to evaluate one’s own thinking and assumptions. More mechanistic thinking assumes more control, more predictability and more linear impact than is the reality in a complex system. The ability to grasp the bigger picture or a different perspective is not constrained by lack of information. It is achieved by challenging the way we each think. One question to put to yourself, that might assist is  “What approach would I adopt if I accepted that this system cannot be controlled nor its behaviour predicted?”

These ideas have been taken from a number of DEMOS publications. We are happy to give you references if you wish to pursue these longstanding, and still valid, writings. Contact shenagh@ipanz.org.nz

The Cabinet Office in the United Kingdom has established a systems thinking unit.  This unit helps people across the public sector apply systems thinking to complex problems.   We attach one of the blogs from this unit for your interest.

Nga mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa

As New Zealanders respond to the challenge of Covid-19, we are overwhelmed by the impressive work of public sector professionals everywhere. The frontline contribution is evident every day on our news feeds. We also know that for everything delivered in extraordinary timeframes — work subsidies being just one of a myriad of examples — many of you will have worked tirelessly to make it happen.

Every time our Prime Minister and Ashley Bloomfield talk to us, I think of the incredible amount of research, writing, analysis and decision-making that it takes from public sector professionals to enable our leaders to perform as they do. IPANZ will continue to seek out and celebrate this dedicated work. It is indeed the spirit of service in action.

We also see this spirit way beyond the public sector. We see it in individual New Zealanders, whanau, neighbours, supermarket check-out staff, businesses of all sizes, food growers and producers, truck drivers, and community services such as foodbanks, shelters and refuges. We can be in awe of the culture of this country which means that this spirit of service shines when it is most needed.

We are trying to find the right balance in our communications, helpful and reassuring for our new working and home situations, and also interesting and thought-provoking articles because life and work go on regardless. Tell us if we have the balance about right for you.

Shenagh Gleisner

shenagh@ipanz.org.nz

Latest News

From Our Public Sector Journal

Our inboxes and newsfeeds are overflowing with Covid-19.  We have plenty on that in our e-update too but first, for something different, there’s lots of good reading in the current issue of our Public Sector Journal which you can read here. Here are two of our picks:

Insights not Fluff

The Public Service Legislation Bill has stepped to move the policy focus towards future generations. Chief Executives will prepare long-term insights briefings every three years, but Jonathan Boston writes that the current requirements are inadequate and flawed.  These briefings must include:

• going beyond data and facts to assess the implications of trends, risks and opportunities;
• free and frank advice about how to mitigate risk, including comment on existing policy options;
• deep insights about improving public sector stewardship, however politically inconvenient.

Read Jonathan Boston’s brief commentary, but more than this, read the Bill and consider what you will do to build long-term thinking.

Climate Change - A Catastrophic Challenge

Our article on creating climate-resilient communities shows the importance of local and central government professionals working together with genuine engagement with communities. It shines the light on a few trail-blazing initiatives, illustrating:

• decision-making tools which communities can use alongside officials;
• real partnerships with the farming community, coupling research with financing and on the ground expertise; and
• creating supportive frameworks where joint decision-making can occur and be sustained.

The message to all of us is that we will have to work differently to make such initiatives fly. This is very urgent. Can we learn from our response to Covid-19 and apply applicable lessons to the serious challenge of climate change?

Spare a Thought for our Policy Makers

IPANZ wishes to shine the light on the terrific work public sector professionals are doing during the Covid-19 response, including those behind the scenes: challenging the decision-making is with inevitable knowledge gaps; continually thinking both short-term and long-term, and how long this pressure could continue.

Dr Alan Bollard says in a recent article, that, having been in leadership positions through crises such as the GFC and the 9/11 disaster, he thought he knew something about crisis management …  however, he believes this crisis is bigger, different and uncharted. He points out that policy makers are carefully navigating their way forward: "We want to keep our intervention options wide and open for long enough to get necessary information, but not too long to miss their impact”.

As Dr Bollard says of the economic policymakers: "spare them a thought”. You can read the full article here.

Communicating About COVID-19

In a time of crisis we can use good messages to provide hope, communicate urgency and bring people together. So to support anyone with a direct or indirect role in communicating about Covid-19, The Workshop has created an exceptionally useful ‘How to Talk about COVID-19’ guide.

It includes evidence-based advice on narratives and messages to help people:

• respond collectively, putting caring for each other first;
• understand more deeply the role that public institutions and collectives play in ensuring our shared wellbeing;
• engage in good decision making based on a respect for best knowledge and science;
• build better systems that centre on caring for people and the planet to cope with our next crisis.

We encourage you to read it and share it widely.

Being in the Bubble

For a different take on Covid-19 and our responsibilities in that, E-Tangata published an opinion piece from Moana Maniapoto, including a letter to her whanau explaining the importance of staying in our bubbles. The piece gives a good insight into the reality for many families, and how staying in our bubbles relates to tikanga.

Here’s a taste:

“Forget tātou tātou for now. No pinching anyone else’s towels or sheets. Pimp your cleaning and constant hand washing.

Also, we need to ensure that all those kaumātua who are eligible have their flu vaccinations. GPs are still doing them, so ring in and ask. Nan gets her own bedroom too.

Anyone who’s sick gets their own room. That’s going to be tricky for big families in overcrowded houses but we must put a rāhui around any sick whanaunga…..”

You can read the full article here.

Getting Used to Working at Home

With a majority of us now working from home, many will be feeling some overwhelm, disconnection, and exhaustion.  It’s perfectly normal as we’re experiencing so much change, including new distractions, new pressures, and an increase in information flow.  Forbes published an excellent article helping to explain work from home overwhelm, and how we can reinvigorate. If that sounds like something you need to read, you can find it here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

While we might not be able to get together in the same room for events at the moment, we want you to know that we''re fully operational and working (from home) on alternative ways to stay connected, and to keep providing you with opportunities for learning, development and sharing ideas.

We are working on some new ways to deliver events and information virtually, including video content, and will make this a permanent part of our programme. You can expect to see this start as the people that we would like to interview or host our virtual events become available. Please let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions for topics or people that you’d like to hear from, to add to the ideas that we are already working on.

WHAT WE''VE BEEN READING

We have been reading articles from the Harvard Business Review. One that caught our attention was an analysis of learning from Italy in its handling of COVID. We can hear the way our politicians and public servants continually adapt as they get your feedback and watch what is happening overseas. So learning is of the essence. We hope you get some insights from this article.

Please Stay in Touch with Us 

IPANZ is upping our presence on social media to give you more ways to stay connected and receive helpful information from us. If you’re not already connected with us, please follow our new page on LinkedIn.

If you found this update useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. We’re always looking to reach more people with our news, events and insights. If you have friends and colleagues in Christchurch or Auckland, we would be particularly happy to hear from them.

And if you’ve received this update indirectly and would like to sign up to our mailing list, email us at admin@ipanz.org.nz

Kia ora koutou

You may be familiar with our annual end of year event, where we usually invite media commentators to talk about significant events of the past year and look ahead to the next year. We hope to make it a little different this time, still with a future focus, but more creative!  We will call it a “radical ideas” forum.

The idea is that we’ll hear from a panel of speakers about what it would take to create a leap in performance for the public sector.

We’d like to start by gathering your very best ideas for the public sector — the outstanding but not outlandish, feasible and yet pushing-the-boundaries. It could be on any aspect of public sector performance. This is not about what politicians could do, it is what we as public sector professionals could implement to make a difference.

I am happy to take anyone with a great idea out for a coffee sometime before mid November, to hear your views. You are welcome to contact me at shenagh@ipanz.org.nz —  I am hoping for some good coffee conversations as we seek out some radical ideas.

Shenagh Gleisner, Executive Director

Latest News

An Organisation''s Journey to Enhance Cultural Competence 

A number of the readers of our Journal have been inspired by the journey of Emerge Aotearoa to better meet the needs of Maori. In the September Journal, Emerge Aotearoa Chief Executive Barbara Disley talks of the vital importance of leadership (from the board and management), how strategy and values are lynch pins, how partnering with iwi is essential, and how developing Maori leaders in the organisation is key to sustaining change. There are lessons for everyone in hearing about this journey, and how it is delivering outcomes.

If you haven''t read it already, you can read the article here 

Monitoring the Implementation of the Public Service Act''s Principles and Values 

A key plank of the IPANZ strategy is to “ensure the espoused aspiration to demonstrate public sector ethics, values and principles is fully reflected in the lived experience of public sector professionals”.

The day-to-day demonstration of these principles in action will be achieved by steady culture change, support, inspiration and modelling by everyone.

However, progress will presumably need to be tracked and monitored for learning and improvement to take place. We were therefore interested to talk with Simon Chapple of Victoria University about his ideas on potential ways of monitoring implementation over time. You can watch this short interview here.

We hope this prompts other contributions from our members.

Performance Management - how is it done these days in the public sector?

The ability of traditional "performance management" systems to improve employee performance in the public sector has been questioned by many, including academics and practitioners. Some research conducted in Australia* noted:

• "performance management" appeared to have no positive nor negative impact on work behaviours
• measurement systems can be poorly designed
• there were inconsistencies in the implementation of the systems
• managers seem to have variable commitment to management of performance
• management of underperformance is particularly hard…..“people who do not perform well are put into a corner, and rated satisfactory regardless of their ineptitude, which renders the whole system useless"

The research suggested that performance was driven by a combination of individual factors — the desire of an individual to serve the public, a supportive organisational culture and specifically the support by managers.

We are sure things have changed since this research was done in 2015. IPANZ is interested in finding out more about the contemporary approaches to empowering and supporting excellent performance in the public sector.  We are therefore keen to support the research of Kendra Hill, a student at Victoria University, who is looking for people to interview over the next two months for research into performance management. Find out more about the project and how you can participate on our website.

*(Closing the Rhetoric-Reality Gap? Employees’ Perspective of Performance Management in the Australian Public Service: Jeannette Taylor. Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol. 74, no. 3, pp. 336–353)

Concepts and Terminology for Futures Thinking

In our last e-update we presented a framework and definitions for a range of ways of thinking about the future — important for so much of our work. You can see the diagram and the definitions here.

Shenagh Gleisner interviewed professional futurist Stephanie Pride who told us more about this. This brief video interview brings this future thinking terminology to life, and we hope you will enjoy watching it.

The Work of the Future Generations Commission in Wales

Last week IPANZ and SOLGM presented a webinar inspiring us with learnings for Aotearoa/New Zealand from the establishment and implementation of the Wellbeing Future Generations Act in Wales. On Wednesday, we sent you all the recorded webinar and the accompanying slides. In case you missed this email, you can still access them now on our website here. This is really worth it, particularly thinking about stewardship, long term insights briefings and our wellbeing framework.

Meet the Team

IPANZ Board member John Larkindale has had one of the most varied and rewarding careers it’s possible to have — and all within one Government agency.

Not bad for someone who was expected to become a chemist and then take over the family business manufacturing adhesives and cleansers for the dairy industry!

We’ve spoken with John about his almost 40 year career with MFAT, and the privilege and responsibility of working in the public service, for our latest article in our meet the team series. You can read that here.

Find our more about H2R here

upcoming events

Using Artificial Intelligence - Understanding and Applying — Wellington, 22 October, 12pm-1pm

Talking to someone who can make a complex subject clear and simple is a treasure. Hearing Sean Audain talk about AI and the associated technologies is an example of this clarity. IPANZ have therefore asked Sean to talk with our members about the application of AI in the public sector. He will be joined by people in the public sector who have used these technologies to increase impact, and enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

This will be largely an interactive event – we will send you a paper written by Sean before the event so you can familiarise yourselves with some of the terms, concepts and risks. There will be lots of time for you to ask questions, dig into what AI might mean for you and how these technologies might be applied in your setting.

Find out more and register here.

Cyber Security — Is the risk increasing? What can we do? — Wellington, 16 November, 12pm-1pm

Cyber Security is a challenge for us all and is a key enabler for New Zealand’s digital future.

Join us for a conversation with Paul Ash, Cyber Co-ordinator in the Natural Security Group of DPMC and the PM’s Special Representative on Cyber and Digital, about the risks and how we can respond.

Find out more and register here.

what we''re reading

Some Insights into Global Trends

In 2007, McKinsey laid out what they believed to be the implications of global trends for the public sector. These global trends included, for example, the ubiquitous access of information, technological connectivity transforming the way we work, live and interact, and public sector activities “ballooning”.

They noted five main implications for the public sector:

• The importance of a radical increase in productivity for the public sector
• The need to change the relationship with citizens in order to engage with the increasing demands
• A requirement to redraw the organisational landscape to deliver better services
• A need to achieve major cultural change putting data at the heart of policy making and management
• The importance of finding ways to attract and retain scarce talent.

In 2020, more than a decade later, a paper by Deloitte  looks at these trends and drivers of change, and notes what they call the ”megashifts” for the public sector.

The authors believe that the implications for the government which could transform the public sector include:

• Governments will be enablers instead of solution providers, building platforms, holding partners accountable for outcomes resulting in more private/public partnerships.
• Made-for-me service delivery with increasingly personalised services and available from home and mobile devices.
• Distributed governance with technology making it possible to distribute more tasks to citizens and to co-create to build prototypes and to reach greater policy effectiveness.
• Data-smart government where predictive modelling allows more focus on prevention instead of reaction and remediation.
• Alternative forms of government funding which may include more payment-for-results models and pay as you go systems and dynamic prices.
• Just-in-time civil service which could involve more of a consulting type model for the public service, with employees less often sticking to departments, and with government expanding their talent networks. This could move from a closed to an open model, which will redefine what the public sector workforce means.
• A new basis for national prosperity based more upon a move from GDP to GNP metrics (as in New Zealand’s wellbeing framework) where societies assess their progress more broadly, with new and different demands of government.

Even ten years ago the implications were similar to that today. And in many regards, government and public sector have responded and adapted. In 2021, Deloitte will complete another analysis of trends. It will be most interesting to see if Covid-19 has impacted, and in what ways.

Find out more about The Johnson Group here

Stay in-Touch With Us 

IPANZ is upping our presence on social media to give you more ways to find out about our events and receive helpful information from us. If you''re not already connected with us, please follow our new page on Linkedin 

If you found this update useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. We''re always looking to reach more people with our news, events and insights. If you have friends and colleagues in Christchurch and Auckland, we would be particularly happy to hear from them.

And if you''ve received this update indirectly and would like to sign up to our mailing list, email us at admin@ipanz.org.nz 

Kia ora koutou

This week we have decided to suspend our physical events schedule for the next few months and offer a ‘virtual-events’ schedule in its place.

We’ve made this decision to ensure we continue to best serve our members — knowing that many of you will already be reducing in-person social interactions to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

This e-update gives you some context for our decision and what you can expect over the next few months. There’s also a round-up of news and insights including from our recent events and from around the sector.

We have the next issue of the Public Sector Journal coming out later this month, so look out for that. It will be a feast of thought provoking ideas: climate change impact, conversations about principles and values, great ideas from the submissions on the public service bill, engagement with Maori communities, an opinion piece on merit, and digital inclusion, to mention just some of them.

Please keep sending us your comments. We enjoy hearing from you.

Shenagh

Decision to Suspend In-Person Events 

We put a high value on face-to-face events and interaction, however it is clear that one of the best ways we can all contribute to slowing the spread of COVID-19 is to limit in-person interactions where possible.

We have therefore decided to suspend in-person events, and will be focussing instead on delivering a virtual programme.

The good news is that we’re well positioned to offer you a virtual programme that continues to support your development — through this e-update, our social media platforms, and video content. 

We can’t emphasise enough the importance of staying in regular communication with each other during this challenging time – continuing to engage in constructive conversations and to support each other — and we’ll be contributing to that as much as possible through our electronic communications and virtual events.

If you have thoughts on how we can continue to provide the best possible support to our members at this time, we would love to hear from you. Email Shenagh.

Latest News

The Impact of Social Distancing

If you haven’t seen this short matches video clip, illustrating how social distancing can help stop the spread of COVID-19, we highly recommend it. The animated video, shows a row of matches catching on fire until one steps aside and stops the blaze in its tracks. It clearly shows the power of each individual creating some distance. If you’re still wondering if social distancing is the right thing to do, it’s worth watching.

Technological Change and the Future of Work

The Productivity Commission’s latest inquiry, Technological Change and The Future of Work, is examining the evidence for concerns about possible widespread job disruption through automation technologies.

Its final report is due on 31 March and in the meantime it has released five draft reports and has been sharing ideas and promoting debate through the FutureworkNZ blog.

This topic is highly relevant for all of us and we recommend checking out the draft reports and/or the blog — a couple of posts in particular we found interesting:

• Debunking Fallacies — Technological Change: NZ’s biggest challenges with technological change are that we are not adopting new technologies fast enough to respond to social, economic and environmental challenges; and we need to be better at helping people to adapt to change and share in the benefits of progress.
• Bite Sized Learning: There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to micro-credentials and the government needs policies that enable relevant and high quality bite-sized learning opportunities. Micro-credentials complement other learning and offer flexibility and options that can plug knowledge gaps quickly.

An Opportunity for Young Leaders

The Auckland network of our New Professionals, has an opportunity for new people to join their Steering Group.

The network provides a platform for debate, networking and information-gathering for the next generation of leaders, thinkers and policy shapers in the public sector — through organising and running professional development events and networking opportunities, and facilitating career development and mentoring for new professionals.

Being on the steering group is an opportunity to build relationships across the public sector, develop professional and personal skills, and influence the public sector of the future.

If you’d like to know more, please email Breanna Hawthorne, Auckland New Professionals co-convenor.

Addressing Workplace Bullying

We had a lively discussion at our recent panel discussion on bullying, with employment lawyer Steph Dyhrberg, Education Review Office CEO Nicholas Pole, and people and strategy consultant Debbie Francis.

NZ schools have the highest rate of school bullying in the OECD, and the panel talked about how this flows through to bullying in our workplaces too. According to the panel, while many executive teams feel that they have “nailed it,” staff generally disagree.

So what can we do to address bullying?

• Leadership is the key: modelling, setting expectations and setting the culture
• The more it is talked about, where everyone in the organisation takes responsibility for calling out bullying, the better it is
• Policies may be in place but organisations have to lay out explicitly and often what positive behaviours are like
• People need accessible channels for reporting bullying — HR departments are not enough as they may be regarded as protecting senior managers

Debbie Francis summed it up well with a slide showing “Six things I’ve seen work” to stop workplace bullying (pictured).

We’d also like to hear your thoughts on workplace bullying and how we can contribute to  safer workplaces for all. If you have thoughts to share, email Shenagh.

Creating an Inclusive Culture in our Workplaces

At a recent event held with Victoria University of Wellington School of Business and Government, an expert panel discussed with a very big audience, the challenges for New Zealand organisations in creating diverse and inclusive workplaces — along with the immense opportunities that exist.

The discussion highlighted that, while progress is being made, there is still a long way to go.

Key takeaways included:

• The importance of focussing on improving diversity and inclusion (not just one or the other);
• Elevating marginalised voices;
• Encouraging and planning open dialogue that everyone feels comfortable engaging in;
• Not being afraid of conflict; and
• The benefits that creating diverse and inclusive workplaces have for businesses, society, and individuals.

Introducing Pasifika Student to Public Sector Careers 

Staying on the subject of diversity, The Tupu Tai Pasifika Public Sector Summer Internship programme is an MBIE-led interagency initiative that supports Pasifika students to explore public sector policy careers. In 2018/19, 15 public sector agencies and eight teams within MBIE hosted 32 Pacific interns.

MBIE has been doing a wonderful job of telling the stories of some of the interns, highlighting the need for more Pasifika people in the public sector with a series of videos that are well worth watching — like this one with intern Tayla Sumner. The series is a great example of very engaging public sector communication on an important issue.

UPCOMING EVENTS

As noted above, we have suspended our schedule of in-person events however we are still taking registrations for the following events, and wherever possible will send video content and/or written content on the topics to everyone who has registered,  as well as sharing content in future e-updates and on our social media channels.

The Forces Shaping Public Service Culture

IPANZ will be exploring the organisational culture of the public service throughout 2020 — grounding this exploration in the context and drivers which shape our culture. We have two outstanding speakers to start this journey in thinking about the organisational culture of the service in which you work: NZ Transport Agency Chief Executive Nicole Rosie and The Office of the Children’s Commisioner’s Acting Chief Advisor Māori, Dr Kathie Irwin.This session will give you new insights into why things are as they are and how they should or could be, and will enable you to understand and influence this culture. 

Find out more and register here.

External Reviews Matter - Preparing and Responding Effectively

This session will explore how the leaders of public sector departments prepare for, co-operate, assist with and respond to external reviews to develop better ways of working.

Two senior public service leaders will discuss the ways they have worked through the review process and the important lessons they have taken from the review process: Secretary for Transport and Chief Executive of the Ministry of Transport Peter Mersi and Chief Executive of Oranga Tamariki, Ministry for Children Gr?inne Moss.

Find out more and register here.

Effective Engagement with Māori

Our next Effective Engagement with Māori workshop is scheduled for October in Wellington.

The workshop is designed to help public service professionals gain a greater understanding of Te Ao Māori (Māori world view) and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and provides practical tools and techniques for effectively engaging with Māori.

Find out more and register here.

WHAT WE''RE READING

Critical Transitions

The Society for Local Government Managers (SOLGM) have produced a thought-provoking document outlining five critical transitions for us all to navigate. The challenge is focused on local government, and communities, but these transitions will impact all public sector professionals and the New Zealanders they serve.

These transitions are to:

• low emissions living
• living in a disrupted climate
• low waste society
• community interconnectedness
• learning-empowered communities

For each transition there is helpful information about assumptions which may underpin our current way of operating and how these assumptions need to change. There are some good examples for systems setting required for the future and new ways of doing things.

This does not present simple answers. This publication does a much more important thing. It encourages everyone to question and renew assumptions, put into action different ways of doing things and to develop solutions together.   Great work SOLGM. You can read the full document here

What We''re Watching 

We’ve been thinking lately about unconscious bias, the impact this has in our workplaces and how we can overcome it - and will be talking about this more in future months. In the meantime, we’ve seen some good videos that we’d recommend to anyone wanting to know more about unconscious bias with ideas on how to reduce its negative impact.

• Understanding Unconscious Bias
• Four Steps for Busting Unconscious Bias

Please Stay In-Touch With Us

IPANZ is upping our presence on social media to give you more ways to find out about our events and receive helpful information from us. If you’re not already connected with us, please follow our new page on LinkedIn.

If you found this update useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. We’re always looking to reach more people with our news, events and insights. If you have friends and colleagues in Christchurch or Auckland, we would be particularly happy to hear from them.

And if you’ve received this update indirectly and would like to sign up to our mailing list, email us at admin@ipanz.org.nz

Kia ora koutou

We are sending a very warm welcome to our new members of IPANZ. We are delighted that new entities such as the Climate Change Commission, and agencies in our wider state sector, such as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra have decided to join us. More local authorities are also joining, which is so important as their voice is essential. When we talk of government, we mean local as well as central and need to always reflect this diversity of experiences. We are also very pleased that some NGOs and businesses have joined too.

It is so important for the public service to work collaboratively with other sectors. We are very keen to hear and share different perspectives. Please send us your insights, articles, blogs and perspectives and we will do our utmost to share them so that everyone across the system can be inspired and informed.

To celebrate the breadth of the IPANZ family, here is a 30 second glimpse of one of the NZSO players working from home.  During the lock down the NZSO demonstrated innovation and agility by producing wonderful music with ensembles of musicians each in their own homes and yet perfectly in time and tune. 

Shenagh Gleisner

You can contact me anytime at shenagh@ipanz.org.nz

Latest News

Acknowledging our Public Sector Communications Professionals 

Public sector communications professionals have done a great job in recent weeks and it is time to give them credit. They are not often praised — indeed often criticised and described as purveyors of “spin”.

They work on the interface of the political and the public service worlds, and this is always a challenge, particularly in assuring the commitment of the public service principles and values, including political neutrality. The Public Service Bill will soon pass into law. This will be a chance for affirmation for these principles, demonstrating accountability to them.

We have shared an article acknowledging the work of our public sector communications professionals in responding to Covid-19, which you can read on our website here.

Going "beyond services" and the Promise of Whanau-Led Approaches 

The fundamental premise of the thinking by the Southern Initiative (which is part of Auckland Council) is for the public service to be thinking about the interrelationships between government and communities. This has a more preventative focus. It is more than delivering services, it is enhancing people’s capacity to solve their own problems, alongside basic services that are needed. Making this happen is a challenge and shift for the public service.

The Auckland Co-Design Lab has shared a think piece about what this experience has looked like in the context of Covid-19 — “a visible lesson in what collaboration across the system can look like when we are aligned on a common goal”.

The Initiative has demonstrated that there are practices, knowledge, resources, skills, strengths and people distributed across the system that have key roles to play in enabling wellbeing outcomes. The paper — which you can read here — talks about the concept in practice. Pay particular attention to the whanau-to-whanau models that are noted.

Showing the measurable impacts of these models will be the important next step.

Perspectives on Budget 2020

Deloitte have prepared an interesting set of papers in response to the Budget, from a range of perspectives. 

In their summary of initiatives for Pasifika people, they refer to “The conch call for action”. They write, “The 2020 Budget acknowledges the contributions Pasifika people make to New Zealand’s economy and sets out a bold and flexible funding package that will benefit them. This contribution is despite the challenges Pasifika people face daily — challenges that demand resilience. This is definitely worth a read and you can find it here. 

You can access all the Deloitte budget papers here.

Innovation and Leadership in COVID-19

In response to our last e-update, we received comment about the innovation, leadership and collaboration shown in many sectors. One that we particularly enjoyed was an update from Te Awakairangi Health Network, about the response through a primary care lens.

It talks of the transformation that took place in the primary health care sector and recognises the response that has occurred at a local and national level. While it focusses on the great things that have happened in the Hutt Valley, it will be repeated in all parts of the country.  The strong partnerships, knowledge and skills of many people —  communities, health providers, Maori groups, local government and others — demonstrates how collaborative we can be across all sectors. You can read it here.

The GovTech Accelerator is looking for projects for the 2020 programme. It is a three-month, accelerator-style innovation programme that takes projects and staff from government agencies who are tackling complex problems, and applies proven and effective service design methodologies to create solutions that work. You can learn more here.

Meet the Team

We’ve started a series of articles introducing the IPANZ team and this week we’re introducing our Executive Director Shenagh Gleisner. Shenagh joined IPANZ a year ago, with a drive to inspire public sector professionals and connect them with thought provoking ideas, and a deep passion for improving the wellbeing of New Zealanders.

“I really love this country and everybody deserves to thrive. So I want people to feel included and involved and contributing because that is crucial for individual and community wellbeing.”

You can read about Shenagh (and learn a few surprising facts about her!) here.

upcoming events

We soon hope to start gradually reintroducing our face to face events, taking full account of the government restrictions of gathering sizes and special precautions. We expect this to be phased and at the same time, we will continue to develop and share videos, webinars and zoom interviews.

Our recently added videos include the following:

A Career in the Public Service

Dame Karen Poutasi shares insights from her career in the public service, in an interview with IPANZ Executive Director Shenagh Gleisner. Dr Poutasi was named in the Queens Honours yesterday as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education and the State. She has served as Director General of Health at the Ministry of Health and Chief Executive of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Last year she was seconded from NZQA to serve as Commissioner for the Waikato District Health Board.

She shares some of her successes, some of her ‘fails’ and some of the valuable lessons she has learned along the way.

You can watch this on our YouTube page here or also access it anytime via the events section on our website.

An Update on the Public Service Legislation Bill

Hannah Cameron, State Services Commission Deputy Commissioner for Strategy and Policy, heads the team who has lead the work in the Public Service Legislation Bill. In an interview with IPANZ Executive Director Shenagh Gleisner she gives an update on the legislative process, some impacts and insights from Covid-19, and how we will all contribute to the implementation of the Act.

You can watch this on our YouTube page here or access it anytime via the events section on our website.

what we''re reading

In the early 2000s, Demos produced a vast array of books, articles and ideas that were innovative and far thinking.

This included the book, Network Logic. Who Governs in an Interconnected World?, edited by Helen McCarthy, Paul Miller and Paul Skidmore. In a chapter entitled ‘Leading Between — Leadership and Trust in a Network Society’, Paul Skidmore writes about the kind of leadership that we need for a networked society. We have summarised some key points below, and if you’d like to know more, we recommend reading this chapter (or the full book).

Although it is from 2004, it has some important ideas about contemporary leadership that are still relevant today. We would love to know if up and coming leaders in the public service are being encouraged to develop these qualities?

What kind of leaders do we need for this interconnected world?

Network leaders lead from the outside in

They start with the deepest needs of their users and work back to establish the configuration of resources and capacities needed to meet those needs.

Network leaders mobilise disparate supplies of energy

They know that the tacit and explicit knowledge of front line staff matters. They create a language that enables people to cross boundaries. They focus on structuring the right kind of conversation. They know leadership is less about decision and more about deliberation.

Network leaders foster trust and empower others to act

They know that agreement is not precondition for action, but adequate trust is. True authority empowers others to act.

Network leaders help people grow out of their comfort zones

Our silos help us to maintain our established routines and give us a sense of identity. Network leaders set incentives for people to move out of this zone and tap into people’s sense of professionalism and sense of moral purpose.

Network leaders are lead learners and not all-knowers

They make the point of not having all the answers. They do not let the “certainty of their vision” blind them. They listen.

Network leaders nurture other leaders

They see self-government as the ultimate goal of leadership. A great network leader results in people saying “we did it ourselves” because they have self-organised in meaningful and productive ways.

Network leaders, above all, preserve the trust upon which their networks depend.

If you would like to read more, you can link to the book here - Network Logic. Who Governs in an Interconnected World?

Please Stay In-Touch with Us

IPANZ regularly shares content on social media to give you more ways to find out about our events and receive helpful information from us. If you’re not already connected with us, please follow us on LinkedIn.

If you found this update useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. We’re always looking to reach more people with our news, events and insights. If you have friends and colleagues in Christchurch or Auckland, we would be particularly happy to hear from them.

And if you’ve received this update indirectly and would like to sign up to our mailing list, email us at admin@ipanz.org.nz

Kia ora koutou

What a delight to see our events section in this e-update filled with the activities of our New Professionals. November is clearly the month for our IPANZ young people!  We hope we’ll see many more Young Professionals signing up to our database.

IPANZ wants the voices of younger people and those new to the public sector reflected in all of our discussions — our e-updates, journal, social media and events.

We are also pleased that these events can often be on video or zoom, so we can reach our younger members in Auckland, Christchurch and in regional local government agencies too. IPANZ is committed to expressing the perspectives of our diverse members. Thanks to our New Professionals for their energy.

Shenagh Gleisner, Executive Director

Latest News

An Opportunity to Learn More About the Public Sector

When COVID-19 hit, like so many of our Public Sector agencies, we had to think about different ways of doing things, and one product of this is our new Public Sector 101 online learning resource.

We assembled a group of expert presenters, filmed each of them explaining a critical part of the public sector, researched and compiled a whole lot of useful resources and pulled it all together to provide an overview of the unique working environment that is the Public Sector.

Public Sector 101 is designed to help people new to, or working alongside the public sector, to develop an understanding of the sector — the fundamentals, Te Tiriti, the key players and processes, the structure and agencies, the financial cycle, and the checks and balances. It consists of seven modules, each with a video presentation and a workbook for you to work through in your own time at your own pace. There are no exams or tests, just learning!

Our hope is that Public Sector 101 will provide, not just for public servants, but those working with the Public Sector, an opportunity to learn more about how the system works and how we can all contribute and engage with it.

You will be able to sign up after November 4 and in the meantime you can find out more here.

Let''s Start Thinking About Open Government

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) provides an opportunity for government and civil society reformers to make governments more transparent, participatory, and accountable. Working together, government and civil society in 78 countries co-create two-year action plans with concrete commitments.

New Zealand is a member of this partnership. Open government is one of the principles in the Public Service Act.

The aim is that openness will be deeply rooted in the government’s operational methods and attitudes instead of being a separate responsibility that causes extra work.

Internationally, Finland is a model of openness. There is much to read about how they’re achieving this and we have picked an article to share about Finland’s efforts to make government activities easier to understand, which you can read here. Genuine openness is impossible if the activities of the government are incomprehensible.

Finland’s actions include:

• Training for public sector professionals to use plain language
• An NGO “academy day” to help the NGO public sector engagement
• A support package to assist public sector professionals engage on social media.

Public Sector Professionals Training in Innovation

New Zealand has its Design Labs, innovation courses on a range of subjects, innovation centres and more. But In Argentina, public servants earn points through their innovation training, which are a prerequisite for promotions and pay rises.

At the Argentina Design Academy, students can take classes on digital transformation, storytelling, design thinking, data and evidence use and artificial intelligence. All this training is available here too but without the incentive (which they call gamification) of gaining points to build public sector careers. What do you think?

You can about how Argentina is rewarding public servants for learning how to innovate here.

Radical Ideas Request

We were very pleased to get a good response to the request in our last e-update for radical ideas. We have had some enjoyable coffee conversations with people with some excellent ideas, and others booked. Thank you, all you creative people.

It would not do justice to your ideas to summarise them. But let us outline loosely some of the themes so far.

• Many responses suggesting mechanisms to ensure cross sector collaboration happens
• Ideas about advanced technologies to enable safe and private data sharing
• Suggestions about capability development for public sector professionals (one example included public servants engaging much more effectively with communities and  another example on innovation and collaboration)
• Mechanisms for much more effective long-term leadership to build resilience

This has made us think about how the public sector can be open to these, and many other ideas.  We are planning an article in our next journal with a “marketplace” of these propositions. We are still mulling how to reflect some of them at our December event where we intend to get a range of people to talk about radical ideas for the public sector in 2021.

Thank you for your responses.

Balancing Online Transparency and Innovation in the Public Sector

IPANZ facilitated a fascinating discussion on the application of Artificial Intelligence at an event last week.

During the Q and A, the Office of the Government Chief Data Steward, Rachael Milicich talked about The Algorithm Charter for Aotearoa New Zealand. It was launched during Techweek in July 2020 and now has 26 signatories across government. By signing the charter, agencies commit to lifting transparency and accountability in how they use algorithms.

In mid-2021 a review of the Charter will take place to ensure it is achieving its intended purpose of improving government transparency and accountability without stifling innovation or causing undue compliance burden.

Find out more about New Zealand’s work on government algorithm transparency and accountability here.

Reframing Risk

The UK innovation foundation NESTA  has produced a useful guide for reframing risk to enable innovation. It explores risk in the local authority setting in the UK, but is equally relevant for central Government and for New Zealand.

The authors make some interesting points. Here are a few:

• Instead of a technical activity for professionals to maintain oversight, exploring and understanding risk should be an inclusive dialogue with a range of actors in the system
• too often negative or downside risks are managed in a way that limits opportunities for positive outcomes
• re-weighting the upside possibility, local authorities may find that innovation can be a risk-reducing activity (and this article gives a few brief examples of how it has been done)
• Becoming more cognisant of which risk is being attended to (outcome risks or organisational risks, for example) enables better decision-making about approaches to risk.

The full report is not very long and is worth downloading. We especially recommend looking at page 15, where how to go about reframing is presented; and the chapter beginning on page 21, where a set of questions are asked about the risk maturity of your organisation.

Find out more about H2R here

UPCOMing events

New Professionals — Meet the Chiefs with Lil Anderson. WELLINGTON. Wednesday 11 November, 7.15am — 8.30am 

Lil Anderson (Te Rarawa and Ngāpuhi) is the Chief Executive of the Office for Māori Crown Relations - Te Arawhiti (Te Arawhiti). She is originally from Panguru in the Hokianga, and has more than 25 years in the public sector and wider state sector.

Te Arawhiti was established to consolidate a range of distinct but related government functions that support Māori Crown partnerships and help the Crown build on the sense of renewal in Māori Crown relations established through the Treaty settlement process.

Over the past seven months, Lil led a key workstream within the COVID-19 All of Government Unit in DPMC called ‘Caring for Communities’, aimed at supporting New Zealand’s most vulnerable groups.

Find our more and register here.

Auckland New Professionals — Public Sector Agility. WEBINAR. Wednesday 11 November, 11am-12pm.

This year New Zealand has enacted the new Public Service Act that enables a more adaptive, agile and collaborative public service.

Meanwhile, with the uncertainties that came with COVID-19, public sector agility has been as important and topical as ever.

The Auckland IPANZ New Professionals group is hosting a webinar to hear from the designers of the new legislation, and about what public sector agility means.

Find out more about the speakers and register here.

Cyber Security — Is the Risk Increasing? What can we do? WELLINGTON, Monday 16 November, 12pm-1pm.

You will have regularly read in the media about cyber security threats, and events such as the recent attacks that closed down the New Zealand Stock Exchange.

We have also heard how cyber security problems are becoming more common over time. The global disruption through Covid-19 has changed the landscape too, with all of us spending more time online.

What we may not know enough about is what we as individuals can do to diminish the impact of these attacks, what our agencies are doing, and how the government and the private sector in New Zealand are managing this risk more broadly.

Join us for a conversation with Paul Ash, Cyber Coordinator in the National Security Group of DPMC and the PM’s Special Representative on Cyber and Digital.

Find our more and register here.

New Professionals — Young Leaders in Local Government. WELLINGTON. Wednesday 18 November, 7.15am - 8.30am

In 2019, Wellington''s local government scene got an injection of youth, with a number of fresh-faced new leaders being elected in various parts of the greater Capital region.

IPANZ New Professionals invites you to meet some of the Gen Z and Millennial councillors who are raising the voice of future generations to help shape the region''s future and to hear about the challenges they have faced being leaders in an area of public service that has historically struggled to attract interest from younger people.

We will hear from Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry (the youngest Mayor in New Zealand''s history), Kāpiti Coast District Councillor Sophie Handford (2019 Wellingtonian of the Year and nationwide School Strike for Climate organiser), and Porirua City Councillor Josh Trlin.

Find out more and register here.

Find out more about The Johnson Group here

what we''re reading

We have been reading about conspiracy theories, trying to understand how they become established, and how to engage people with very firm beliefs. Such beliefs that are resistant to persuasion are all around us, in our personal and work lives. So improving skills at engagement is useful for public servants.

In this regard this article in the Conversation gives some good hints for how to productively engage, such as:

• understand that it is emotions not facts that drive the position
• there will always be kernels of truth so seek them out and agree when you can
• aim to sow doubt, not to convert.

A book we often turn back to is Jess Berentson Shaw’s “Matter of Fact: Talking Truth in a Post-Truth world” (A BWB book).  This book highlights that talking truth often involves not talking at all — it is about listening, building relationships and connecting with people. Referencing shared values rather than arguing about statistics, we can find innovative ways to talk effectively about contentious information. 

But just in case you have been thinking it is all the other people who have distorted beliefs and not you, we also recommend reading The Invisible Gorilla. The book reveals the numerous ways that our intuitions can deceive us, but it''s more than a catalogue of human failings. It explains why people succumb to these everyday illusions and what we can do to try to inoculate ourselves against their effects. Again and again, we think we experience and understand the world as it is, (in other words we are sure we are right!)  but our thoughts are beset by everyday illusions. We found it sobering, albeit fascinating.

Stay In-Touch With Us

IPANZ is upping our presence on social media to give you more ways to find out about our events and receive helpful information from us. If you''re not already connected with us, please follow our new page on LinkedIn.

If you found this update useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. We''re always looking to reach more people with our news, events and insights. If you have friends and colleagues in Christchurch in Auckland, we would be particularly happy to hear from them.

And if you''ve received this update indirectly and would like to sign up to our mailing list, email us at admin@ipanz.org.nz

Public Sector Journal 43.2, July 2020 Issue - Playing Our Part: How the Public Sector Responded to the COVID-19 Crisis

The July Issue of Public Sector is out now.

Highlights of this issue include the following three articles which summarise some of the achievements of the last few months:

Kia Kaha, Te Reo Māori, Kia Kaha Aotearoa

The Māori language Commission celebrates its contribution to ensuring that messages reached Māori whanau in te reo Māori. IPANZ celebrates it too.

Playing our Part: How the Public Sector Responded to the COVID-19 Crisis

As Ashley Bloomfield said “leadership is an invitation to collective action”. We witnessed collective, collaborative action and our members can feel justly proud of its effort.

Voices from Canterbury: Experiences in Shared Crisis and Recovery

A collection of insights about lessons learnt from experiences in surviving crisis and trauma. IPANZ is in awe at what has been demonstrated in Christchurch and Canterbury.

The no surprises principle (sometimes called a convention) is an element of the operations of the Executive.  IPANZ has an interest in the norms, structures and processes of our public administration system. Hence our wish to engage with IPANZ members on this issue.

We are contacting IPANZ members now as there is an opportunity to learn more about the operation of the no surprises principle, and to make your views known.

How much do you know about the “no surprises” principle?

The Cabinet Manual [para 3.22 (a)] sets out the principle:

“In their relationship with Ministers, officials should be guided by the “no surprises” principle. As a general rule, they should inform Ministers promptly of matters of significance within their portfolio responsibilities, particularly where these matters may be controversial or may become the subject of public debate.”

There are various perspectives about the rationale for its existence. It is clear however that it is a key underpinning of the relationship and trust that exists between Ministers and their officials.

Do you know about the recent case - Peters versus Bennett - involving senior public servants?

You may be aware of the case brought by the Rt Hon Winston Peters. The claim, as stated in the Judge’s ruling, was that the public disclosure of the payment irregularity was a breach of his right to privacy.

The best way to obtain a full description of the case is to read the judgment by Judge Venning.

https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/Peters-v-Bennett.pdf

The background to the case involved the following

• In adherence to the no surprises principle, two CEs briefed their Ministers on a matter of significance in their Ministers’ portfolios. The information shared included private information about an individual who had a prominent public profile.
• This personal information was leaked to the media.  The source of this leak was not determined. As a result of this leak, the personal information was made public.
• The complainant took five people to court including two senior Public Service chief executives.
• In his final judgment released on April 20^th 2020, the judge determined that the no surprises briefings were for a proper purpose. He made a number of other points in his judgment.

IPANZ would like to use the opportunity provided by this case to consider, with your input, whether change is needed to the no surprises principle and how it guides officials.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is interested in the views of commentators.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner intends to look further at the no surprises principle in relation to the issue of privacy.

The text of the Commission’s views on the case is attached below, in the form of a blog written by Joanna Hayward, General Counsel at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. It is much shorter than the full judgment by Judge Venning and provides a helpful summary of key issues.

https://www.privacy.org.nz/blog/winston-peters-v-paula-bennett-and-others/

You will note that there are a range of matters for consideration raised in this blog, which include the following

• The expectation of privacy
• The integrity of the public service
• The naming of the person involved
• The contextual background
• A measure of restraint in the use of the no surprises principle

You may believe there are also other matters to consider.

You will see that the Office of the Privacy Commissioner invites comments and suggestions on this topic and intends to provide more detailed guidance in due course. We suggest therefore that you give your comment direct to the Commission before the end of May.

IPANZ wishes to consider if any changes to the guidance given to public servants might be warranted.

IPANZ is keen to gather the views of our members on this issue. You may decide to give feedback to the Office of the Privacy Commission too, but please do tell us what you think. 

Depending on the response, IPANZ can then explore whether adjustment to, or clarification of, this principle would be of value. As always, IPANZ’s aim is to strengthen and support the public administration system.

Please feel free to share your ideas with us at shenagh@ipanz.org.nz   We are happy to direct you to further commentary on this subject if you wish to dig deeper.