IPANZ E-Update - 15 March 2022
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, notes that the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%. Loneliness, fear, grief, financial worries, exhaustion are some of the themes. Then we have the desperate situation in Ukraine. And in our own community, the protest, right outside the doors of Rutherford House where the IPANZ offices are housed, which left us with many emotions, including great sadness.
Our thoughts and best wishes to you all in these difficult times.
Shenagh Gleisner, Executive Director
LATEST NEWS
Feedback From The IPANZ Public Sector Conference
Thank you for your extremely appreciative responses to us about the conference, lots of positive feedback from you, and of course suggestions from which IPANZ can learn. Nga mihi ki a koutou katoa.
The address delivered by Hon Justice Joe Williams as a memorial to Ivan Kwok was overwhelmingly enjoyed by all who attended. IPANZ would love his words and challenges to reach far and wide. We have therefore decided to make his address available to everyone. Pass it on, talk about the ideas and let’s make a difference. You can watch his address here
Doing Our Best By Pacific Communities
IPANZ talked with Dr Collin Fonotau Tukuitonga, asking him to reflect on the role of public servants in working with and delivering for Pacific communities. This brief article has gems of excellent advice which could be easily acted on by the public service.
This is just one of the excellent articles in our Public Sector Journal which is available later this month, look out for your copy.
Great Ideas to Run Better Meetings
Apolitical has gathered some ideas from a range of public servants in various countries about how to run better meetings. This is a, practical set of approaches. Many of the ideas in here are all the more important in a world of zoom meetings where subtleties, the lack of non-verbal cues, in-depth exploration and inclusion can be so much harder. We think you will find this little booklet useful.
The Impact of COVID-19 On Our Broader Health System
The Health Quality and Safety Commission regularly produces what they call “windows on quality”. This report is the executive summary of first of two reports exploring the impact of our COVID response on selected aspects of our health system. There is much to think about in this document. For example, the authors make two important points:
“The Cancer Care response exemplifies four capacities of a system that allow it to perform resiliently: The capabilities to anticipate, monitor, respond and learn”.
“Aotearoa New Zealand’s particular patterns of inequity before the pandemic were both a failure of the Crown’s obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and presented fertile ground both for the virus and for the unintended negative effects of measures to contain it”.
A second report due in June 2022 will continue the exploration over time and explore other critical aspects of the health system.
And More About "Rethinking Our Policy Processes"
In the last e-update we presented some ideas from a discussion on this subject run by the Productivity Commission and IPANZ. We have since read a study called “Better Policy Making” from the Institute of Government in the UK. You can chase it up yourselves on their website if you wish to (or ask us for the reference)
Below, we summarise just three of the recommendations. These do not appear to be specific to the UK, hardly surprising as we both have Westminster systems.
- Move beyond the generalist model for policy professionals, putting great value on domain knowledge
- Permanent secretaries to be set targets to reduce churn and turnover of staff which deplete capability
- Devote more resource to policy evaluation including encouraging more accountability for Ministers for the long-term impact of policy decisions.
Read more about H2R here
UPCOMING EVENTS
Public Sector Economics - For Non-Economists - 5, 7 & 12 April 2022, ONLINE
Good Public Policy and Management relies on robust and well-informed advice. This online series is designed to provide public servants, who do not have a background in economics, an introductory overview of key terms/concepts/instruments commonly used in Public Sector planning and advice.
The series consists of three 1-hour webinars covering; Macro-Economics, Micro-Economics and The Living Standards Framework.
Wellbeing Budgets and the Environment: A Promised Land? - 6 April 2022, ONLINE
This webinar will be a fascinating exploration of how the budget process can contribute to addressing long term environmental challenges, wellbeing, and stewardship. Excellent speakers from the Parliamentary Commission of the Environment with expert discussants critiquing the ideas. Have a look at this event and join us. Crucial thinking for all public servants.
Learn more about GovTech Accelerator 2022 here
The IPANZ website is always being updated with interesting things. This week you may be interested in the following:
Entries for Te Hāpai Hapori | Spirit of Service Awards 2022 are open from Monday 21 March through to Monday 23 May 2022.
What Makes Joint Working and Joint Ventures Successful? – insights from the literature.
Zooming into Better Work-Life Balance? Gender and equity Insights from New Zealanders' experiences with working from home
IPANZ has been digging into what drives the success of joined up working and collaboration across the public sector and with communities. This one of the most pervasive challenges in the public service. Here are two reads on the topic that are big, but worth it.
The first is a book by two public servants Ross Boyd and Rodney Scott - Targeting commitment: Interagency Performance in New Zealand
This book looks at ten examples of successful interagency collaboration on major cross-cutting policy problems, in New Zealand from 2012-2017. Great to look at strengths rather than deficits.
Some of the features that seemed to support goal commitment included the following: setting goals that matter to both public service and citizens, making it difficult to back out, holding small groups of leaders collectively accountable, and committing to a schedule of public reporting on progress.
The second is a review produced by Julie Fry for the Productivity Commission.
This focusses on joined up social services, similarly looking at some examples of excellent practice drawing out some of the keys to success and the barriers and putting forward some ideas about how the public service could do better.
You can read the summary of this work here
Read more about The Johnson Group here
Stay In-Touch With Us
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