Senior government officials are worried about the
political neutrality of our public service, say experts from
the Wellington School of Business and
Government.
“Some have perceived an increased
politicisation through cohorts of people coming into the
public service who do not appear to understand the concept
of neutrality and their obligations towards serving the
government that the people of New Zealand elect,” said Dr
Geoff Plimmer, who is an associate professor at the
school.
Plimmer said ministers have also voiced
concerns – “They’re seeking some assurance that public
servants aren’t working against them, and you can see that
in some of the changes they’ve made to the Public Service
Act.”
Parliament recently amended the law to
strengthen the accountability of chief executives to their
ministers and to give greater emphasis on serving the duly
elected government of the day.
Be
‘Switzerland’
Plimmer, a former public servant
turned academic, leads a team that recently interviewed
dozens of senior officials on what good leadership looks
like in practice – and what makes it harder.
“They
said leadership was a constant balancing act: delivering on
immediate priorities while keeping one eye on longterm
stewardship, all while maintaining confidence and support
from ministers and the public.
“The major opposition
parties also have a valid expectation that they will one day
lead a future government.
“That’s why the
neutrality principle is so critical and career public
servants really do need to be the ‘Switzerland’ that
lies at the heart of all the politics.”
No
comparison
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Plimmer was recently at a major
international conference on public management where he
presented on NZ’s political neutrality
challenges.
“I am currently in the United States
which has a very polarized and politicised public service,
and I don’t think we’re in any way moving in that
direction.
“New Zealand has a Westminster-style
government which is meant to have a neutral public service
baked in.
“In contrast, the United States maintains
a large cadre of political appointees at senior executive
levels, while many continental European systems also allow a
greater degree of political influence over the leadership of
the public service than is permitted in New
Zealand.”
Top down, bottom up
The challenges
to New Zealand’s public service neutrality are coming from
both politicians and public servants. “You can see signs
of political pressures on the top layer, for example,
through board appointment processes.”
“But then
there are the public servants who get really attached to
particular policy platforms and find it really difficult to
drop them once the government changes.
“e.g., we saw
the pushback over te reo names for government departments
from people getting really attached to how they were using
them for their organisation.
“So, the challenge is
both top down and bottom up.”
“Some of the senior
officials we interviewed said they need to have more
coaching conversations about neutrality with their staff,
and many were increasingly concerned about integrity
failures.
“The appearance of integrity failures can
be just as damaging to the public’s trust and confidence
in government as actual failures.”
‘Fairly
good’
“This week’s controversy concerning
police superintendent Rakesh Naidoo was a prime example, as
was Newsroom’s revelation concerning the departure of
former Kāinga Ora chief executive Andrew
McKenzie.”
“There have always been challenges for
public servants in terms of how they negotiate neutrality.
“That hasn’t changed, and generally, in New Zealand, we do
a fairly good job.”
“But it is concerning when
some people at the senior level, who should be ‘on the
side of the angels’ in terms of upholding political
neutrality, don’t appear to understand exactly what’s
required of them.”
Dr Geoff Plimmer
is an Associate Professor at the Wellington School
of Business and Government (Victoria University of
Wellington). He is a former public servant turned academic,
and a regular media commentator on public-sector
performance, restructures, and leadership. His work focuses
on practical ways to improve how public organisations
perform and support their
staff.
Dr Charlie Mitchell
is a research fellow at the Wellington School of
Business and Government (Victoria University of
Wellington). He is also a former public servant turned
academic and close associate of Dr Plimmer with proven
media
experience.
