Resource material › Corporate Publications › Statement of Intent 2012-15Tauāki Whakamaunga Atu
Nature and Scope of Functions
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Purpose, Role and Functions
Our purpose
Internal Affairs serves and connects people, communities and government to build a safe, prosperous and respected nation.
Our roles and functions
We have a historically wide brief of responsibilities including
- implementing the Government’s Better Public Service Result 10: New Zealanders can complete their transactions with the government easily in a digital environment
- managing and protecting the integrity of personal and national identity information
- building national emergency readiness, response and recovery capability to support communities to manage through emergencies and managing the response to large-scale civil defence events
- providing all-of-government information and communications technology and implementing the Directions and Priorities for Government ICT
- providing policy advice to government on local government, ethnic affairs, the community and voluntary sector, civil defence and emergency management, and in fire, identity, technology, information management, gambling and racing policy
- regulating activities, encouraging compliance and enforcing the law for gambling, censorship, government recordkeeping, unsolicited electronic messages, anti-money laundering, and private security personnel and private investigators
- building and preserving New Zealand’s documentary heritage and public record
- providing information, resources and advice to communities and administering grant funding schemes
- supporting the effective operation of government and the Executive
- coordinating and managing official guest of government visits to New Zealand
- supporting Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry
- monitoring the performance of two Crown entities (the New Zealand Fire Service Commission and the Office of Film and Literature Classification) and managing the appointment process for members of trusts, committees and boards.
A full list of legislation that the Department administers can be found on http://www.dia.govt.nz.
Transition of the functions of the Charities Commission
In 2011 the Government announced plans to transfer the functions of the Charities Commission into the Department once the Crown Entities Reform Bill is passed. The transition is part of wider changes aimed at building a more cost-effective and responsive public sector.
The transition will expand our functions to include promoting public trust in the charitable sector, registering charities and monitoring compliance with the Charities Act. These roles align closely with our work supporting communities, enhancing engagement between communities and government, and our regulatory and monitoring responsibilities.
Ministerial portfolios
We are responsible to six Ministers[1] and administer seven portfolios within a single Vote Internal Affairs. The Minister of Internal Affairs is the Vote Minister and the Responsible Minister overseeing the Government’s ownership interests in the Department.
| Portfolio | Minister |
|---|---|
| Internal Affairs, including responsibility for Archives New Zealand and the National Library of New Zealand | Hon Chris Tremain |
| Civil Defence | |
| Ministerial Services | Rt Hon John Key |
| Ethnic Affairs | Hon Judith Collins |
| Local Government | Hon David Carter |
| Racing | Hon Nathan Guy |
| Community and Voluntary Sector | Hon Jo Goodhew |
Organisation structure
Internal Affairs consists of five branches and the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management; each of which has a predominantly external or internal focus.
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A dedicated Programme Team, including staff from other agencies, provides cross-agency leadership in developing citizen-focused services and is responsible for implementing the Government’s Better Public Service Result 10.
Organisation governance
The Executive Leadership Team (ELT) is our key leadership and decision-making body with collective responsibility for the governance of the organisation.
ELT is supported by four standing governance committees, which are responsible for the oversight of key strategic areas and provide recommendations to ELT on governance issues.
Recommendations arising from a review of the Department’s governance structure following the structure’s first year of operation will be implemented during 2012/13.
Footnotes
[1] The Department provides administrative support to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy and the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Building Failure Caused by the Canterbury Earthquakes. The Attorney-General, Hon Chris Finlayson, has administrative responsibility for these Royal Commissions.