ACT's Simon Court said new governments arrive in office to find 'a wall of people who don't necessarily agree with you'. National's Chris Bishop admitted it can be frustrating to get the government's priorities through the system and said that officials could improve on how free and frank their advice is. But he praised the public service for being apolitical.
Every three years, New Zealanders vote for a government. But there is one part of government nobody votes for: the permanent public service. These are the officials who turn the government's plans into action. Their job is to help each elected government deliver on its promises.
Our forthcoming report, No Minister, asks whether they do. We interviewed 40 people with direct experience of the system. We also conducted a large survey through Curia Market Research. Survey respondents were drawn at random from an online panel comprising several hundred thousand New Zealanders eligible to vote, 718 of whom confirmed they were current or former public servants and participated in the survey.
Seven in ten said their job is to serve the public, not the elected government. Less than half of the 718 public servants agreed that elected ministers know better than officials what the public wants. And four in ten disagreed that elected ministers should make the final calls on policy.
In our report, officials who believe they are better suited than ministers to divine the will of the public and reject ministers' democratic mandate make up the 'bureaucratic priesthood'. About one third of the 718 public servants, and one out of five who advise ministers, belonged to this group.
These officials trust their own view of what is good for the public over the result of the election. They were more likely to endorse tactics that substituted their will over the minister's. But unlike ministers, they cannot be voted out. When officials, not ministers, decide what the public gets, they override the voters' choice.
We all pay the price. Over the last decade, housing and infrastructure policies from both Labour (for example, Phil Twyford's struggle with the Urban Growth Agenda) and National governments have been held up.
The grievance is not partisan. Governments of the left and right have struggled to get their programmes through. Ministers who arrive prepared and give officials clear direction do better, but even they can struggle. A system that depends on exceptional ministers needs fixing.
So, the next government cannot assume the public service will always help it deliver what voters elected it to do. Neutral officials and a mutual working relationship between officials and ministers cannot be taken for granted.
Seven in ten said their job is to serve the public, not the elected government. Less than half of the 718 public servants agreed that elected ministers know better than officials what the public wants. And four in ten disagreed that elected ministers should make the final calls on policy.
In our report, officials who believe they are better suited than ministers to divine the will of the public and reject ministers' democratic mandate make up the 'bureaucratic priesthood'. About one third of the 718 public servants, and one out of five who advise ministers, belonged to this group.
These officials trust their own view of what is good for the public over the result of the election. They were more likely to endorse tactics that substituted their will over the minister's. But unlike ministers, they cannot be voted out. When officials, not ministers, decide what the public gets, they override the voters' choice.
We all pay the price. Over the last decade, housing and infrastructure policies from both Labour (for example, Phil Twyford's struggle with the Urban Growth Agenda) and National governments have been held up.
The grievance is not partisan. Governments of the left and right have struggled to get their programmes through. Ministers who arrive prepared and give officials clear direction do better, but even they can struggle. A system that depends on exceptional ministers needs fixing.
So, the next government cannot assume the public service will always help it deliver what voters elected it to do. Neutral officials and a mutual working relationship between officials and ministers cannot be taken for granted.
No Minister is out on Monday 16 November. Pre-register for the launch webinar to get the full report on release. In the meantime, read the Sunday Star-Times feature.
Benno is a Research Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative with a wide range of policy interests. This article was first published HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for joining the discussion. Breaking Views welcomes respectful contributions that enrich the debate. Please ensure your comments are not defamatory, derogatory or disruptive. We appreciate your cooperation.