Concerns about the state of our government have been growing for some time. Large projects, especially involving IT or infrastructure, are prone to running over-budget or failing to deliver what is required. A former Auditor-General, John Ryan, has questioned whether we even know if most public programmes deliver value for money.

Commentators from across the political spectrum are concerned that government agencies often lack the specialist knowledge and capability to deliver complex projects. Others argue that those agencies are too often disconnected from the communities they are supposed to serve. Meanwhile, adoption of new technologies, including AI, is often minimal or sporadic.

On the other hand, our public sector scores well on some international comparisons, and retains significant strengths: for instance, relatively little corruption, strong specialist knowledge in some areas, and the ability to serve politicians of different stripes. Many public sector workers are dedicated individuals who bring skill and energy to the job. How then, can the state’s strengths be augmented while the weaknesses are addressed?

IDEA’s work on public sector reform will examine the most promising paths for lifting the effectiveness and efficiency of our public services. As part of a wider ongoing inquiry, we will initially be looking at potential reforms including greater evaluation of government programmes (drawing on examples from Australia and elsewhere) and more cross-agency initiatives on the model of the current joint venture for tackling family and sexual violence. The ultimate goal is to help improve the quality of the public services on which New Zealanders rely.