IPANZ E-Update - 29 June 2022
On day one of my new role as IPANZ Executive Director, I attended one of the Systemic Change in the Public Service to Better Enable Collaboration webinars. This sang to my heart – coming from a partnerships background as I do. Since then I’ve been impressed with what’s available for members. But I’m keen to explore how we better meet your needs – so I hope you’ll be up for a conversation with me sometime in the future. Thanks in advance!
Kay Booth, Executive Director
LATEST NEWS
Matariki
Our nation’s first official celebration of Matariki was a nation-building moment – in the words of PM Ardern it “unites us under the stars of Aotearoa”. Sure, there will be some people who simply took the chance for a lie-in, but my sense is that communities around Aotearoa have embraced the values that underpin the new public holiday/rā whakatā ā-ture.
Dr Rangi Mātāmua believes this is the first reintroduced indigenous holiday anywhere in the world – and he should know, as the indigenous studies and Māori cultural astronomy expert who spearheaded a campaign over many years to have this day become a reality. In his words: “We no longer need to look overseas to reflect who we are… We have things that are here that are valuable, important, connected to who we are where we are, and they are becoming the markers of who we want to be."
Looking for information about Matariki? Try:
Protection For Whistleblowers Just Got Stronger
From 1 July it will be easier to ‘blow the whistle’ – about ethics, risks, financial impropriety and safety in the workplace – without fear of recrimination for speaking up.
The Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 replaces the Protected Disclosures Act 2000 – it extends the definition of serious misconduct, allows workers to report serious wrongdoing directly to an appropriate authority at any time (rather than going through their own organisation), specifies what the receiver of a protected disclosure should do, and clarifies the protections for disclosers.
What does this all mean?
- It protects whistleblowers and encourages the disclosure and investigation of serious wrongdoing in the workplace.
- It requires government organisations to update their internal procedures for whistleblowing and be prepared for disclosures.
The September issue of the Public Sector Journal will cover the Act and its requirements in more detail. For guidance in the meantime, visit Te Kawa Mataaho | Public Service Commission’s Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 web page.
Budget Transparency - New Zealand Has Come A Long Way, But We Still Have A Lot To Learn
The recent Open Budget Survey gives New Zealand a bit of a wake-up call in terms of budget transparency – the survey assesses the formal public opportunities for meaningful participation in the budget process. It covers 120 countries.
New Zealand has ranked first (or first equal) since the survey’s inception but has now fallen to fourth place. While some of the drop is temporary or can be turned around easily, the survey results raise bigger questions about what New Zealand needs to do next to raise the bar on fiscal transparency.
Derek Gill, as the 2021 Open Budget Partnership Assessor for New Zealand (and an IPANZ Board member), will discuss this further in the September issue of the Public Sector Journal.
How Sensitive Is Your B*S* Barometer? Perhaps The C.R.A.P. Framework Can Help
Academics have delved into language designed to obscure, aka B*S*, and tell us it obscures the truth, saps morale and erodes effectiveness. Surprise, surprise.
In response, the sardonically named C.R.A.P. framework has been designed to help Comprehend, Recognize, Act and Prevent B*S* in the workplace and in public life. No, really.
Asking the question why we use ‘obscure language’, research has identified:
- To distract from responsibility and avoid emotion.
- To manipulate.
- To look good and belong.
- Because we’re lazy and it’s hard.
Offering advice for effective writing, they suggest Professor Joe Moran’s book ‘First You Write A Sentence’, and Apolitical’s ‘The Public Servants’ Guide to Effective Writing’ (you have to join up to Apolitical – but it’s easy).
- https://apolitical.co/pages/public-servants-writing-guide
- https://apolitical.co/solution-articles/en/bullshit-erodes-trust-why-we-do-it-and-how-to-stop
Learn more about H2R
here
UPCOMING EVENTS
New Professionals - Meet the Chiefs Breakfast with Chief Judge of the Employment Court, Judge Christina Inglis - Tuesday 26 July, 7.15am-8.30am, WELLINGTON
Join the IPANZ New Professionals Leadership Team for a light breakfast and the opportunity to meet the Chief Judge of the Employment Court, Her Honour Chief Judge Christina Inglis.
Come at 7.15am for breakfast, the speaker will start at 7.45am, it's an early start but well worth the effort to hear Chief Judge Inglis discuss first-hand her career path, highlights and challenges. There will be the opportunity to ask questions and engage with Chief Judge Inglis as well.
New Professionals - Prospective Graduate Evening
- Thursday 28 July, 5.00pm-6.30pm, WELLINGTON
Is the end of your degree is in sight! Perhaps you’ve secured a graduate position for the new year, or perhaps you haven’t quite gotten around to it yet, or you know of someone in this position - if so this event might be of interest to you.
Hosted at the new Statistics NZ building, this event will feature current graduates/analysts and their managers from across a range of government and government-adjacent organisations. Come along for an informal chat about what it’s like to be a graduate, and to hear all the best tips and tricks from those who have recently experienced the transition into full-time work.
Refreshments will be provided!
Learn more about The Johnson Group here
WHAT WE'RE READING
A new book ‘Contingent Collaboration – When to Use Which Models for Joined-up Government’ explores the machinery of government and how to work across agency boundaries. Drawing on New Zealand public administration, it has been co-authored by IPANZ Board Member Rodney Scott and Eleanor Merton.
Cambridge University Press has made the book available for download free of charge in electronic form for two weeks (after that it will be available for purchase).
Hot tip: if interested, download this book now – its free-to-download period expires 30 June: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009128513
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