Resource material › Corporate Publications › Annual Report 2010-11Pūrongo ā Tau
Part A: Contribution to Outcomes and Objectives
On this page
- Nature and scope of functions
- External operating environment
- Strategic direction
- Performance framework: Outcomes
- Performance framework: Objectives
- Organisational health and capability
Nature and scope of functions
The Department’s overall purpose is to serve and connect people, communities and government in order to build a safe, prosperous and respected nation.
As New Zealand’s oldest public sector organisation, we have a historically wide scope of functions and services that can be separated into two key components:
providing services and support directly to people and communities
providing services and support to Government and public sector organisations to help them achieve their outcomes.
The Department is responsible for:
managing and protecting the integrity of our national identity information; and providing services and advice to other public and private organisations to ensure New Zealand’s identity information is managed and used in a consistent and secure manner
providing access to information resources to build literacy, learning and knowledge creation; and preserving the collective memory of New Zealand’s heritage collections and public record to ensure this information is protected and available for the benefit of current and future generations
ensuring participants in regulated activities behave responsibly and with integrity; and protecting communities from the harm caused by gambling, unsolicited electronic messages, objectionable material and criminal activities
providing information, resources and skills to increase people’s participation in their own community and across communities; and enhancing access to funding and resources to ensure everyone has the capability to participate in their communities
helping communities build higher levels of readiness for an emergency and their capability to manage the response and recovery to develop more resilient New Zealand communities
utilising our combined resources and expertise to improve public sector accountability and productivity; and ensuring that necessary services and systems are in place to facilitate the efficient operation of government.
The February 2011 integration further expanded the breadth and scope of our work and allowed us to build an organisation that is stronger and more influential than ever before. The new integrated Department strengthens our unique role in nurturing the development of the country’s nationhood, identity and culture.
We are now responsible for administering eight votes across nine ministerial portfolios: Community and Voluntary Sector, Ethnic Affairs, Civil Defence, Internal Affairs, Local Government, Ministerial Services, Archives New Zealand, National Library, and Racing.
Further information on the breadth of services we provide is available at dia.govt.nz.
External operating environment
The Department has a unique place in the wider public sector. We have a neutral and non-aligned position, which means we are connected to the environmental, economic, justice, social and cultural sectors, but are not within any one of them.
During the year, we responded to a range of wider external factors that have impacted on our operating environment. In particular, we:
controlled and coordinated the response to the Canterbury earthquakes during the first ever period of state of national emergency. We stepped up at a time of need to manage the response and continued to deliver services and provide support to the people of Canterbury to manage in a difficult time
implemented machinery of government changes, effected on 1 February 2011, as part of the key Government policy to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the public service, and make smaller organisations more resilient by placing them in larger and more sustainable structures.
As with many government agencies, the Canterbury earthquakes placed considerable pressure on our ability to deliver some services. A core focus was to reprioritise resources and ensure our staff had the accommodation and support to maintain core services and lead a number of cross-government initiatives to support the people of Canterbury to manage at a time of need and begin to rebuild over the longer term.
Longer-term external factors that we continue to respond to included:
managing an increasing demand for access and confidence in the information we provide and services we deliver. We utilised digital technology to make information more easily accessible, improved the productivity and efficiency of our services and looked for ways to reduce the cost of services to the public
responding to the ever-changing demographics of New Zealand’s population and national identity in all aspects of our work. We worked in new and innovative ways to improve the delivery of public services that better represent and meet the increasingly diverse needs of New Zealand’s communities
delivering services to customers where and when they needed them. We utilised the increasing availability and affordability of fast and secure technologies and looked for common public sector approaches to reduce government investment costs and better meet the needs of customers.
Further information on how we responded to all these changes is outlined within the following sections.
Strategic direction
Over the year we responded to changes in our operating environment, whether they were expected or not, and planned ahead to position ourselves as a strong and sustainable organisation for the future. We worked towards building our capability to become the preferred home for selected government functions that require high-quality service delivery to people, communities and government.
The main strategic focus over the year was the integration and establishment of the new organisation on 1 February 2011 and the subsequent work to realise the benefits and opportunities created as a result of our new collective strength. The integration allowed us to leverage the knowledge base and skills of multiple organisations to more effectively deliver services and achieve shared outcomes.
We focused on identifying and beginning to realise key opportunities created through our ability to:
provide smarter customer-focused services that combine common services to ensure customers have access to a wider range of integrated services from a single point of contact. This has made it easier for people to access and use information important to their lives when and where they need it
deliver better public services and reduce the long-term cost of delivering our functions. We focused on looking for more innovative ways of working through shared services, reducing duplication and leveraging existing knowledge and expertise to deliver more effective frontline services
strengthen our leadership in information management, information and communications technology, shared services and customer-focused service delivery to increase the performance and productivity of the public sector in our areas of expertise
utilise our expertise in government information and communications technology to respond to a greater need to work in more innovative ways and make enhanced service opportunities possible. We encouraged a whole-of-government approach to common services and improved the value of government investment.
Supporting staff was a key priority during the integration and associated structural changes. This was a first step in building a collective culture to enable us to realise the potential synergies from the new combinations of functions and start building a sustainable organisation for the future.
Further information on these areas of focus is outlined in more detail in the following sections.
Performance framework: Outcomes
We provided a wide range of services to connect people, communities and government to build a safe, prosperous and respected nation.
The outcomes we sought to contribute towards are:
New Zealand’s diverse people and communities/hapū/iwi are resilient and prosperous
the people of New Zealand have a strong and valued national identity, culture and heritage
New Zealand is recognised for creating, sharing and using knowledge for social, cultural and economic well-being.
To achieve these outcomes, we sought to contribute to:
people living in safe and secure environments
people engaging with and contributing to their diverse communities in ways that strengthen those communities
people participating in civic society and adding value to economic activity
people using information for innovation and knowledge creation
people (including people in other nations) valuing our documentary heritage and taonga
people, organisations and other nations trusting New Zealand’s identity and public information.
Our services directly contributed towards achieving the following impacts:
people and communities understand and manage hazards and risks
participants in regulated activities behave responsibly and with integrity
people have the capability to participate in their communities and across communities
people are able to access and use information important to their lives
New Zealand’s documentary record is protected and available for current and future generations
New Zealand’s personal identity information has integrity.
The following section describes how our work influenced these impacts during the 2010/11 financial year in order to contribute towards achieving our overall outcomes.
The Department of Internal Affairs provides services to people and communities that contribute to the following outcomes:
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The Department uses outcomes where it provides services directly to people or communities.
Outcomes are a state or condition of society, the economy, or the environment and describe the long-term state or condition the government seeks to achieve, largely through the operations of its agencies.
Intermediate outcomes are more specific statements of outcomes. Intermediate outcomes provide a bridge between outcomes and impacts.
Impacts are the Department’s contribution to an outcome by a specified set of services or actions, or both.
People and communities understand and manage hazards and risks
We seek to ensure people are prepared for emergencies and manage hazards and risks in their community. We advise people on how to prepare for and respond to these situations so that people and communities are aware of, and put in place measures to minimise, the likelihood of harm. New Zealanders will live in a safe and secure environment and our diverse people and communities/hapū/iwi are resilient and prosperous.
Supported communities to manage through emergencies
We provided national emergency readiness, response and recovery services in order to enhance community resilience and support them to manage through emergencies. The Canterbury earthquakes required us to reprioritise resources from across the organisation, sometimes placing pressure on other services, to enable us to effectively lead the response and support the people of Canterbury to manage at a difficult time. At the same time we maintained delivery of all functions and services to the region.
We continued to support communities to manage through emergencies, in particular we:
controlled and co-ordinated the response to the Canterbury earthquakes with assistance from partner agencies and territorial authorities during the state of national emergency; and planned for a review of the overall response to identify areas that deserve improvement
continued to build the capability of communities to manage through emergencies by running public education campaigns and supporting a coordinated approach, at both national and community level to plan for reduction, readiness, response and recovery to emergencies
managed the increased demand for translation of information, Language Line interpreting calls, and community outreach activities as a result of the Canterbury earthquakes to respond to the needs of ethnic communities in Christchurch and those relocating to other regions in New Zealand
supported the Trustees to commence allocation of almost $100 million, generated from across New Zealand and overseas, as part of the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust established to provide support for the recovery of the Christchurch and Canterbury communities, beyond the support already provided from the Government
improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the fire sector by providing advice to support the Fire Service Commission’s strategy to encourage the amalgamation of rural fire authorities into larger, more effective groupings.
New Zealanders are becoming more prepared to respond to future emergencies and manage hazards and risks than ever before. Through our public education campaigns and the high profile of the recent Canterbury earthquakes, the percentage of the public who recognise the importance of being prepared for emergencies continues to steadily improve. The percentage of people who are prepared at home and work has increased from seven to 18 percent over the past five years.
Figure 1.1: Number of people who are prepared for emergencies
Prevented the social harm caused by regulated activities
We worked to ensure that families and communities know how to protect themselves from the harm caused by gambling, unsolicited electronic messages, objectionable and restricted publications, and criminal activities. The ever-increasing amount of objectionable material available over the Internet means that we need to find new ways to protect New Zealanders by working more collaboratively with international authorities.
We built public awareness to minimise social harm, for example we:
worked closely with national and international enforcement agencies, such as the New Zealand Police, to share information and actively minimise the use and availability of unsolicited and objectionable material on the Internet to promote a safer more secure international environment
facilitated and coordinated the progressive community-led implementation of the multi-venue exclusion order (now operating in 13 areas nationwide), which enables a person to voluntarily exclude themselves from multiple gaming venues in addition to existing exclusion and harm prevention orders
increased the breadth of our regulatory and compliance functions by working toward establishing a new anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism unit, ensuring we will be fully functional when the legislation takes effect in early 2013.
Improved public awareness of the likelihood of detection and the harm caused by regulated activities is demonstrated through the increased number of public complaints. We investigated 1,335 complaints and issued 120 formal warning letters and 12 civil infringement notices for the use of unsolicited electronic messages. Detection systems and active support from the public have led to 26 successful prosecutions for possessing and distributing objectionable material over the Internet.
Participants in regulated activities behave responsibly and with integrity
We seek to ensure participants in regulated activities behave responsibly and with integrity in order to ensure New Zealanders live in a safe and secure environment, participate in civic society and add value to economic activity. New Zealand’s diverse people and communities/hapū/iwi will be resilient and prosperous; and we will be recognised for creating, sharing and using knowledge for social, cultural and economic well-being.
Provided education to encourage compliance in regulated activities
We contributed to a safe and secure environment by ensuring participants in regulated activities behave responsibly and with integrity. We provided operational policy advice and services to educate and regulate gambling activity to ensure compliance exceeds the minimum requirements of legislation. For example, we staged a series of regional gambling sector forums covering a range of compliance issues and a desired approach for future engagement with the sector, specifically for venues in Christchurch.
We improved overall compliance by making it easier for operators to comply with regulations, for example we:
led the replacement of individual operators’ outdated and unsupported systems to enable better monitoring and control of casino monitoring systems and improve the transparency and integrity of casino gambling operations
held regular forums and actively engaged with individual operators involved in gambling activities to discuss and resolve compliance issues before they occurred; this included communicating the obligations of the anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism legislation before it comes into effect
maximised returns of gambling activities to the community by responding to and resolving compliance issues effectively and efficiently to ensure non-compliant practices were amended to comply with regulations and ensure funding is returned to communities where it is most needed
minimised the overall cost of compliance by improving transparency and addressing inconsistencies in the treatment of venue overheads to ensure costs are attributable only to those that are necessary and reasonable for the conduct of legal gambling activities.
We undertook a range of audits, venue inspections and investigations to recover losses to the community. We have seen operators actively self-correct their practices and a positive shift towards improved voluntary compliance with legislation in the first instance.
People have the capability to participate in their communities and across communities
We seek to promote a culture in which people have the capability and support to participate effectively in local government decisions and community activities. We provide information, resources, advice and funding to promote community development, and support local authorities to respond to the needs of communities. People can actively participate in the development and economic growth within and across communities.
Provided advice and information that made communities stronger
We provided information, resources and skills to encourage participation in communities to build a stronger New Zealand. The increasing diversity of our nation has meant that we looked for new and innovative ways to respond to community needs. An example of this has been the new community-led development initiatives that place communities at the centre of resourcing decisions, allowing government to make investments at a holistic level, rather than funding specific organisations and projects.
We provided resources to diverse communities to ensure everyone can participate confidently and actively in all aspects of community life, for example we:
commenced community-led development initiatives that enable more strategic support, advice and investment in communities, hapū and iwi, to give communities greater control of their development process and enhance their capability to identify and implement solutions at a local level
increased access to tools and resources that increase community participation through our administration of grant funding. For example, we provided computer training and a computer to an additional 1,114 families to build digital literacy and capability across generations and better connect communities
continued to enhance New Zealand’s reputation as a successful model of social harmony by engaging with multi-ethnic and multi-faith communities. For example, we held forums such as the EthnicA conferences and workshops that help build stronger networks and relationships across ethnic communities and deliver practical support and encouragement to ethnic people to participate fully in New Zealand society
provided free public access to broadband Internet services in 136 public libraries and marae through the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa resulting in growth in membership and longer-term benefits to the user including increasing literacy and finding sustainable employment
supported the celebration of the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer + 10, which was led by Volunteering New Zealand and highlighted advances in the New Zealand volunteering sector since 2001, and developed resources to encourage public service employee volunteering.
Figure 1.2: Sense of community
The number of people who feel a sense of community with others in their local neighbourhood has continued to rise steadily to 60 percent. A recent quality of life survey found that 62 percent of people agree that our ethnic diversity makes New Zealand a better place to live.[1] Generosity indicators on donations to and volunteering for community organisations also show that over one million people volunteer and that 1.5 million people donate money every quarter.
This has been supported by an evaluation of the benefits realised from the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa, where membership had grown by 30 percent leading to a 47 percent growth in computer literacy, 39 percent growth in ability to access local authority services and 44 percent growth in finding sustainable employment.
Enhanced local government support and representation of communities
We provided policy advice and analysis to government on the local government system, structure, and legislative framework, aimed at enhancing local authorities’ responsiveness to the needs of communities. The past year has been an historic period of change as Government looks to strengthen the role local authorities play in supporting New Zealand’s economic activity.
We implemented policies to improve the effectiveness of local government structures to meet the needs of diverse communities and contribute towards economic growth. To achieve this, we:
led and supported a number of initiatives to improve local government’s efficiency and effectiveness, the most significant of which led to the establishment of the new Auckland Council on 1 November 2010, replacing the Auckland Regional Council and the seven city and district councils
jointly led cross-government engagement with the Auckland Council to begin realising the full benefits from the reorganisation and commence development of the Auckland spatial plan, which is expected to provide an effective and broad long-term strategy for growth and development in the region
enhanced the responsiveness of local authorities to their communities by amending the Local Government Act 2002 to provide greater transparency and accountability of local authorities’ activities to ensure better quality information on performance to ratepayers and central government
continued to support the longer-term recovery from the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes by providing cross-government policy advice, from a local government perspective, to enhance the ability of local authorities to rebuild infrastructure and support communities.
We have seen increased participation of communities in local government activities. The 2010 local authority elections saw the highest national voter turnout in 12 years with 49 percent – primarily as a result of the new Auckland Council elections. The establishment of the Auckland Council aims to better meet the collective needs of all communities within the region and is expected to help improve Auckland’s economic performance.
Enhanced access to community funding
We facilitated enhanced access to funding and resources to support participation within and across communities. We administered a range of Crown-funded grant schemes, trusts and fellowships, grant funding to communities on behalf of the Lottery Grants Board, and facilitated funding from the Earthquake Appeal Trust established to support the recovery of Christchurch communities.
We improved access to funding and improved the performance of the charitable sector by:
working to remove barriers to the Charities Commission operating more effectively by initiating some technical amendments to improve the operation and workability of the Charities Act ahead of the first-principles review and planned relocation of the Commission within the Department
making funding information more accessible through the launch of the new communitymatters.govt.nz website and working with our partners to develop an online grants and client management system to simplify processes for both applicants and decision makers
working with the Payroll Giving Early Adopter Engagement Group to develop solutions to enable employers to offer payroll giving schemes that maximise the number of donee organisations to which staff can choose to donate, while minimising costs to the employer.
We saw a continued demand for grant funding from communities, with over 10,000 Crown funded and Lottery grants made, during the year. We administered over $180 million in Lottery grant funding, and provided $21.7 million in Crown grants to support communities through schemes such as the Community Organisation Grants Scheme, the Community Development Scheme, the Support for Volunteering Fund, and the Community Internship Programme. Payroll giving has now surpassed $3 million in total donations nationally since it started in January 2010.
People are able to access and use information important to their lives
We seek to ensure people are able to access and use information important to their lives when and where they need it. We provide leadership in the collection and management of information to meet people’s needs and to support innovation and knowledge creation. New Zealand will be recognised for creating, sharing and using knowledge for social, cultural and economic well-being.
Improved access to information resources, documentary heritage and the public record
We maintained and provided access to New Zealand’s collections and the public record through a range of facilities open to the public, and increasingly through the development of online services. We continued to look for new ways to improve access to information resources and collections to meet an ever-increasing demand for services. For example, we received $12.6 million in Budget 2010 to establish the Digital Heritage and Archives Programme to develop a secure system to accept, store, preserve and give improved access to important government digital information.
We made information and services even more accessible to the public, for example we:
led the development of increased access to the public record through progressing archive preservation and digitisation of national heritage archives with a target of reaching 90 percent of all information available online by 2018
maintained uninterrupted access to resources through the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa and continuing to provide services to schools, through the Palmerston North centre and the outreach programme, following earthquake damage to the Christchurch National Library building
improved library access for young New Zealanders and educators through the opening of the new Auckland service centre in July 2010 and through the new online service delivery platform implemented to increase access to services for schools and school students.
We have seen improved access to information important to people when and where they need it. The increased availability of information is providing benefits to the greater public rather than just the traditional user. The number of public record items digitised on Archway, Archives New Zealand’s online index to the archives, has increased by 78 percent over the last two years and now totals over five million. The number of people accessing this information has also increased, with 8.6 percent more searches being conducted online compared with last year.
Over 756,000 digitised images were added to the National Library’s online collections during the year, including 116 volumes of the Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives dating back to 1861. The number of items digitised increased by 25 percent compared with last year, with almost two million pages of heritage newspapers and over 80,000 pictorial images now available on the popular Papers Past and Timeframes websites.
Improved access to personal identity information
We ensured people have secure and appropriate access to reliable identity records to facilitate the effective use of government services and entitlements. As the population grows and changes so does the demand for passport, birth, death, marriage and civil union certificates, and citizenship services. Improvements to the passport systems during the year allowed us to manage growth while at the same time issuing certificates faster than ever before.
We provided more efficient, customer-focused services to enhance access to identity information. In particular, we:
set the basis for more efficient services to the public by improving the productivity of the passport system to manage increased demand within existing resources and improve the efficiency of the overall management of identity information
provided quicker, more effective access to identity information and services by enhancing the passport system to improve processing of applications to provide simpler and faster application processes and better overall services to customers
continued to develop options to enable a single point of access for similar government services by working towards developing further integrated service delivery mechanisms, in addition to igovt services, which already provide a secure common customer logon and identity verification service.
Following the legislated move to five-year passport validity in 2005, volumes have continued to grow and are expected to almost double over a seven-year period, from 450,000 in 2010 to almost 800,000 in 2017. Productivity gains have allowed us to manage this increasing demand and provide services more effectively, halving the time required to produce a certificate from six to only three days. We are continuing to work towards reducing the costs of these services in the future and returning these efficiency gains back to the public.
New Zealand’s documentary record is protected and available for current and future generations
As the guardians of New Zealand’s documentary heritage and public record, we ensure our collective memory is recorded, preserved and available for current and future generations. We collect and maintain the collective memory of a nation and connect it to present and future generations. We seek to ensure New Zealand will be internationally recognised as a nation that creates, shares and uses knowledge collectively to contribute toward social, cultural and economic well-being.
Built heritage collections and public record
We worked with libraries, museums, communities and other public sector agencies to build heritage collections and public records of national importance to create a strong and valued national identity accessible by all. As an example of this, we developed strong partnerships with Māori to make important historical documents available to iwi in ways that work for them. We continued to grow this source of information to meet increasing national and international demand.
We worked to increase our collections and capacity to store more information. To achieve this, we:
worked to increase physical storage capacity through the redevelopment of the National Library’s Wellington building, which will meet capacity requirements through to 2030 and enable us to more effectively house a greater number of collections in a purpose-built controlled environment
worked with our partners to increase the amount of information available to customers. For example, the partnership with the familysearch.com website has enabled immigration records and probate files to begin to be digitised and made available online at low cost to the taxpayer
increased community participation in building New Zealand’s heritage collections by providing free digital online tools and services that give the public the ability to easily deposit content into community and national digital archives
increased online capacity by focusing on digitisation of collections rather than traditional paper based mechanisms to improve our ability to store, preserve and make accessible digital collections and enhance government agencies’ ability to manage information effectively.
The number of items of documentary heritage and public record available to the public continued to grow. Our ability to store and preserve more items improved through building government’s digital archives and enhancing and building the physical storage capacity of existing and new facilities. The quantity of archives held rose by 14 percent to 97,922 metres over the past four years. The Alexander Turnbull Library added 94,257 items to heritage collections during the year, up 40 percent on the previous year, while 33,979 items were ingested into the National Digital Heritage Archive, more than double the previous year.
Protected and preserved collections for future generations
We preserved and protected heritage collections and public records for the benefit of current and future generations. We looked for innovative ways to preserve the integrity of new and historic pieces to protect and maintain a growing number of collections against damage. For example, in April 2011 we joined Te Papa in signing a Letter of Commitment on the care and management of taonga relating to Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika (a group of four Wellington iwi) as part of the Crown’s Treaty of Waitangi settlement with Taranaki Whānui.
We increased the number of items in digital form and established specialist preservation facilities to enhance the resilience of collections we manage. To do this, we:
increased preservation of heritage collections services by redesigning services that meet modern day needs of researchers and working towards the target of 2,000 items digitised by 2012 through the preservation copying and the retrospective audio preservation programme
enhanced the resilience and preservation of digital and physical collections through digitisation and the redevelopment of the National Library’s Wellington building, which will provide specialist facilities within a suitable environment for effective preservation
continued to work with Māori and Pacific communities to ensure New Zealand, Māori and Pacific cultural heritage and taonga are preserved correctly and accessible to current and future generations of New Zealanders.
We have seen more items of historic national importance preserved as a result of capability projects undertaken during the redevelopment of the Wellington National Library building. The Turnbull Library preservation copying and retrospective audio preservation programme has digitised 1,262 items and is well placed to meet the target of 2,000 by 2012. The ability of the National Digital Heritage Archive to collect and preserve records from the Internet has enabled us to build a comprehensive digital record of the events, public response and social interaction following the Canterbury earthquakes.
New Zealand’s personal identity information has integrity
We seek to ensure trust and confidence in the integrity of New Zealand’s civic information and official record. We collect and maintain secure, reliable and accurate personal information, which is essential to ensuring people, organisations and other nations trust our national identity. New Zealand’s reputation for providing leadership nationally and internationally on all aspects of managing government information will be maintained.
Ensured the integrity and reliability of identity information
We protected the integrity and reliability of New Zealand’s personal identity information. As the threat of international fraudulent behaviour increases, so has the need to ensure the integrity of identity information is protected from damage or access by unauthorised people to prevent alterations or fraudulent use. We released the Good Practice Guide for Identity Fraud Control to help organisations minimise the risks of identity fraud – estimated to cost the New Zealand economy almost $200 million annually.
We improved the overall credibility and quality of New Zealand’s identity information, for example we:
enhanced the integrity of identity information through improvements in the way information is collected and managed to enhance the security of the New Zealand passport and the integrity of the processes used to issue passports and other travel documents
minimised the impact of identity fraud on New Zealand’s international reputation by developing national standards, tools and guidance for identity information management for use by agencies to ensure integrity of data collected and best practice management of personal identity information.
New Zealand’s national and international reputation of collecting and maintaining secure and reliable personal records continues to be strong. This is important as accurate information establishing an identity in New Zealand supports the integrity of subsequent documentation. The accuracy of citizenship certificates provided to the public was consistently above 99 percent. We maintained an extremely low rate of incident reports related to issuance of passports on fraudulent grounds and fraudulent use of passports (less than 0.01 percent).
Provided leadership in identity information management
We led by example by providing services and advice across private and public sectors to ensure identity information is managed and used consistently and securely. The digital age in which we live drives an ever-growing need to build trust and confidence with the people who use this identity information. During the year we used our expertise in information and communication technology as a tool to improve the way identity information is managed across New Zealand.
We provided products that give a high degree of confidence in the management of information, in particular we:
expanded services provided to other organisations through igovt services, which provide a secure logon for people to use when accessing services from government agencies and an identity verification service which provides a mechanism for individuals to securely prove their identity online
progressed the early stages of the Identity Information Bill, which seeks to facilitate the use of an electronic service to support data validation and allow agencies to confirm identity information provided to them by individuals with the authoritative information held by the Department
partnered with New Zealand Post Ltd to expand the services offered by igovt and maximise efficiencies in service delivery. This will help drive private sector uptake of the services provided, when supporting legislation is enacted.
We are seeing continuous improvement in the level of confidence of information managed by private and public sector agencies across New Zealand. The number of agencies receiving advice and using our products to improve the quality of identity information they manage continued to grow. For example, the igovt logon service has supported almost two million online transactions to date. Further uptake of various services is expected to occur after legislative changes are enacted next year.
Figure 1.3: igovt logon service growth (transactions)
Performance framework: Objectives
The Department makes an increasingly important contribution to the effectiveness of the wider public sector by supporting government and other public sector organisations to provide better, smarter services to New Zealanders. We continued to lead by example and provide leadership in our areas of expertise to indirectly contribute towards all government outcomes.
Our objectives were to enhance trust in the New Zealand government and confidence in the performance of public sector organisations. We have sought to:
enhance the productivity and accountability of public sector organisations
support specialist capability-building in other nations
support the system of government to operate efficiently and effectively.
We contributed to these objectives by delivering services that seek to:
increase capability across public sector organisations to work with and respond to the needs of diverse communities
improve the value of investment by public sector organisations in information and communications technology
optimise the services and systems that support effective Executive Government
enhance the value of information available to support government decision-making
increase capability across public sector organisations to carry out their regulatory responsibilities
increase the capability of public sector organisations to keep secure and maintain the integrity of public records and personal information they hold.
The following section describes how our work contributed towards these objectives during the 2010/11 financial year in order to contribute towards achieving our overall outcomes.
The Department of Internal Affairs provides services to Government and public sector organisations that contribute to the following objectives:
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The Department uses objectives where the services it provides are too distant to identify direct relationships with outcomes, or where the contribution is indirect (i.e. services to Government and public sector organisations).
Lead objectives describe a long-term state or condition that results from providing ‘enabling’ services.
Supporting objectives describe the Department’s contribution to a lead objective by a specified set of services or actions, or both.
Note: For the purposes of this framework, ‘public sector organisations’ are: the entities included in public service departments; non-public service departments; Offices of Parliament; Crown agents; autonomous Crown entities; independent Crown entities; statutory bodies; and territorial and local authorities. For these purposes, ‘public sector organisations’ included those in other jurisdictions, in particular Pacific Island countries.
To enhance the productivity and accountability of public sector organisations
In tight and uncertain economic times, public trust in transparent and accountable government is fundamental to a prosperous, well-functioning society. We use our combined resources and expertise in areas of strength to improve public sector accountability and productivity, and enhance the trust and confidence New Zealanders have in the performance of public sector organisations.
Increased capability across public sector organisations to work with and respond to communities
Public sector organisations can be more effective when they better understand the needs of the people they serve. We provided cross-sectoral advice and guidance to promote good practice in successful engagement between the community and public sector. An example of this is a new award for ‘Excellence in Recognising Ethnic Diversity’ to recognise responsiveness to the needs of all people of all backgrounds and ethnicities throughout the public sector. The first award was won by the New Zealand Police.
We led by example in building collaborative relationships and partnerships with communities, and:
supported the Kia Tūtahi Standing Together Steering Group to develop a set of guiding principles for community-government relationships that forms a Relationship Accord to foster more open, trusting and collaborative relationships between government and the communities of Aotearoa New Zealand
supported the development of the Code of Funding Practice as a joint community-government exercise launched in September 2010 to enhance funding relationships between community and public sector organisations and improve outcomes for communities
developed the collaborative Kotui shared library system, the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa and Digital New Zealand resources to enable individual libraries and other public sector organisations to improve access to and discovery of information.
We have seen improved responsiveness from local and central government agencies to the growing diverse needs of communities. This was recognised through recent quality of life surveys which show the percentage of people who perceive the public has an influence on local councils rising to 62 percent. The percentage of people who are confident that their council makes decisions in the best interests of their city or district has risen to 53 percent compared with previous surveys undertaken since 2004.[2]
Figure 1.4: Local government engagement with communities
Increased capability across public sector organisations to carry out regulatory responsibilities
We partnered with other compliance agencies to leverage our experience and strengths in regulatory and compliance operations to build capability across public and local government sector organisations in carrying out regulatory functions. We work closely with other agencies to ensure that systems and infrastructure are in place to undertake regulatory and compliance operations across sectors, including monitoring performance and developing guidance and resources for implementing improvements to regulatory operations.
We improved the consistency and functionality of public sector regulatory responsibilities. To achieve this, we:
developed nationally recognised tertiary qualifications for people involved in public sector operational compliance work and developed a guide to compliance to help agencies recognise and adopt good practice in compliance activity through the Compliance Common Capability Programme
provided civil defence and emergency management services to support local authorities and other stakeholders to build capability in managing hazards and risks in the community so they can more effectively prepare for and respond to future emergencies.
Increased capability of public sector organisations to keep secure and maintain the integrity of public records and personal information
We increased the capability of public sector organisations to protect government information and public records. Increasing demand for information means there is a growing need to continue to build the strength and integrity of New Zealand’s civic information. We led the transformation to digital recordkeeping to ensure public sector recordkeeping keeps pace with the digital age. Access to recordkeeping guidance has been made easier with our new ‘one stop shop’ for continuum recordkeeping resources now available online.
We enhanced trust and confidence in New Zealand’s public records and personal information, for example we:
provided tools and guidance that raised awareness and understanding of digital continuity across the public sector to progress New Zealand’s transformation to digital recordkeeping and ensure public sector recordkeeping keeps pace with the digital age
increased delivery of igovt services, a secure logon for people to use with government agencies and a data validation service, as a mechanism for other agencies and individuals to guarantee their personal record and improve the overall management of New Zealand’s identity information
established tools and guidance to support the integrity of information managed by the Department and other public sector agencies by ensuring data is collected and managed consistently and the overall likelihood of identity fraud is minimised.
International and national trust and confidence in the way New Zealand manages public records and personal information is strong. Public sector organisations demonstrated increased awareness of the importance of maintaining the integrity of public records and personal information. Along with the significant uptake in the use of igovt services, the percentage of public offices and local authorities reporting a formal recordkeeping programme increased by seven percent and six percent respectively in the last year.
To support the system of government to operate efficiently and effectively
We seek to support the system of government to operate efficiently and effectively. We ensure that necessary services and systems are in place to facilitate the efficient operation of central and local government to deliver better, more effective services to the public. The trust and confidence New Zealanders have in government and in the performance of public sector organisations will continue to grow.
Optimised services and systems that support Executive Government
We ensured that the necessary systems and services were in place to support the efficient operation of Executive Government. We led by example in providing supporting services to the government of the day, which is demonstrated by the degree of trust and confidence Ministers have in the Department’s ability to provide these services.
Recent events have meant that our responsibilities have taken on extra significance, in particular we:
provided administrative secretariat support to significant ongoing public inquiries, including the Royal Commissions of Inquiry into Building Failure Caused by the Canterbury Earthquakes and into the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy
supported a number of high-profile ceremonial events, including the remembrance service for the miners killed in the Pike River Mine, the memorial service for those killed in the February Canterbury earthquakes, and planning for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
provided the Government with the ability to coordinate and manage a national disaster by drawing on national resources available and the assistance provided by our international partners.
Improved the value of government information and communications technology
We used our expertise in technology to improve the way public services are delivered. The increasing availability and affordability of fast and secure technologies mean that the public service can better meet the needs of customers in new, improved and more accessible ways. In the last year we signed laptop, desktop computer and print contracts expected to save government up to $75 million over five years.
We improved the value of government investment in information and communications technology and continued to enhance the way public sector agencies use technology, and:
expanded the uptake across government agencies of a more cost-effective all-of-government contract for the open network environment one.govt, which is now serving 27 agencies and is forecast to grow to 35 by 2013 saving a potential $3 million
provided leadership to improve the value of information and communications technology investment across government by developing a framework to ensure better value from investment, improve service delivery and support an open and transparent government
enhanced the New Zealand government’s online presence by encouraging public agencies to share capability and common approaches to the design and delivery of online services that better meet increasing customer expectations.
All-of-government contracts enacted during the year are expected to reduce the cost of information capability technology across the public service. For example, all-of-government computer contracts signed during the year are expected to save the government more than $35 million over the next five years and print contracts are estimated at a $20 to $40 million savings. They will also allow for the provision of higher-quality government services to the public. Recent research found that 78 percent of people are satisfied with government online information services, and 81 percent are satisfied with online transaction services.
Led cross-government policy analysis and advice
We ensured government policy and decision-making was informed by high-quality data, analysis and advice. The recent push to achieve sustained improvement in the quality and management of policy advice across government has meant a focus on building better leadership through centres of expertise rather than specialist subjects. The integration in February 2011 increased the breadth of our expertise in providing high-quality cross-sectoral data, analysis and policy advice.
We supported cross-agency collaboration and enhanced the value of policy advice in our areas of responsibility, for example we:
addressed the adverse effects of freedom camping on the environment by ensuring consistency of application of camping regulations across local councils to restrict camping to locations that are designated campgrounds with appropriate facilities
led a future-focused review of the system of local government and the challenges it faces to build smarter government and stronger communities. This included reviewing the effectiveness of the relationship between local and central government and the efficiency of local government participation in regulatory systems
provided leadership to support a wide range of other agencies and portfolios, including a significant role in policy development across government where there is a potential impact on the system of local government.
To support specialist capability-building in other nations
We support specialist capability-building in other nations by sharing our knowledge to increase their capability in our areas of expertise. Strengthening international relationships by supporting capability-building in other nations enhanced trust in New Zealand’s government, confidence in our public sector organisations and our reputation in the global community.
Supported capability-building in other nations
We increased the capability of other nations to maintain the integrity of the public records and personal information they hold. We worked with them to improve their responsiveness to their communities’ needs, and carry out regulatory responsibilities. We continued to work with the Five Nations Passport Group[3] and with the International Civil Aviation Organisation to share best practice and collaborate on new developments as well as using our knowledge and expertise to support the growth in specialist capability of other nations.
We have been recognised for the contribution we have made to other nations, and we:
contributed to the upgrade of Vanuatu’s passport processes and systems by using our expertise and knowledge to improve the management and integrity of personal information, including assisting with the opening of the new Vanuatu passports office in June 2011
worked with various Pacific nations to improve recordkeeping practices by sharing our expertise and knowledge in digital recordkeeping to ensure the region’s recordkeeping keeps pace with the digital age
worked closely with the Five Nations Passport Group and with the International Civil Aviation Organisation to share best practice and collaborate on new developments such as enhancements to passport security, and, increasingly, to ensure the investment in the e-Passport[4] continues to provide benefits to New Zealanders and the New Zealand Government
collaborated internationally with the Five Nations Citizenship Group, the Council of Australasian Registrars for Births, Deaths and Marriages and the Australasian Biometrics Institute to keep abreast of developments in each field and newer technologies, such as biometrics, which provide new possibilities and some challenges for the recording and verification of identity.
Organisational health and capability
The integration of the National Library, Archives New Zealand, the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer with the Department of Internal Affairs occurred on 1 February 2011. This was part of wider machinery of government changes to improve the performance and service delivery of public sector agencies. We continued to build our capability to become the preferred home for selected government functions that require high-quality service delivery to people, communities and government.
New organisational structure
The Department’s new structure came into effect on 1 February 2011. It is designed around integration at a horizontal level, creating critical mass in areas of expertise rather than specialist subjects. The focus is on a single, interdependent organisation, whose performance and operations are directly connected with the overall organisation’s strategic priorities.
Organisational design principles were based on developing a horizontally and functionally based structure that enables us to enhance our expertise and leadership in areas of responsibility, while also enabling us to leverage common capabilities and shared practices internally. The design has future-proofed the Department and ensured we are flexible enough to accommodate any future machinery of government changes.
The integration provided an opportunity to strengthen strategic oversight across the organisation. We established four new governance committees, which allows for a clear separation between governance and management, and a significant shift in the way decisions are made within the Department. This enables the executive leadership team to focus on governance and leadership of the Department, rather than line management.
People capability
Our priority over the year was to support staff during the integration and associated structural change; and to support Christchurch staff following the September and February earthquakes. We focused on building staff awareness and resilience to changes to support them through the transition to the new Department. This was a critical first step in supporting the development of a collective culture to enable us to realise the potential synergies from the new combinations of functions.
We maintain the skills, functions and statutory roles of all integrated agencies, while ensuring we are better able to deliver services in more innovative and cost-effective ways. It has allowed us to bring together complementary skills, resources and strengths to provide better services, creating a stronger and more influential organisation than we were individually.
We began to identify and develop specific connections between areas of expertise that will build common capabilities and enhance our overall services to people and government. The diversity and range of functions delivered by the new Department enhance the development opportunities for managers and staff, through broader career and professional development opportunities.
This strengthens the future capability of both the Department and potentially the wider public sector.
Canterbury earthquakes
As with many government agencies, the Canterbury earthquakes placed considerable pressure on our resources. Our staff showed immense dedication and professionalism during the national emergency period of 10 weeks, working tirelessly to restore lifelines and ensure people in Christchurch were safe and secure. It was the worst natural disaster in New Zealand’s history and our staff were supported by an exceptional community spirit from New Zealanders not only in Canterbury, but around the country and the world.
The earthquakes also had a significant impact on our facilities and ability to deliver services. We lost the use of all facilities within the central business district but staff showed strong resilience and continued to deliver services to the public through multiple alternative avenues and locations. We established an ad hoc internal governance committee to support our own recovery and plan for longer-term options for relocating operations being considered as part of the wider whole-of-government strategy.
Key priorities were to provide immediate accommodation for our staff and to identify opportunities for partnerships with other public sector agencies to deliver common services to the people of Christchurch.
Information technology
We are now the chief advisor on government investment in information and communications technology. The integration has allowed us to build further strength and capability in providing leadership in the use of technology as a tool to transform the way the public sector delivers services. Central to this role is our own ability to use this expertise to ensure we have the internal technical and service delivery capability to give the maximum benefits to our public sector clients.
We are able to improve the delivery of services to people and reduce the cost to government through the development, delivery and promotion of common information and communications technology capability. This is supported by the ability to maintain and improve the reputation of the government’s online presence, facilitating better access to government information and services.
Capital and asset management
We seek to maintain a capital base that will meet the Government’s objectives of economic growth and improved public sector performance. In light of the economic downturn and fiscal constraint on capital injections from the Crown, a key challenge has been ensuring the sustainability of our funding flows from depreciation as a means of fully funding future capital investment, or self-funding capital investments through balance sheet management.
A significant portion of our capital programme of expenditure was spent on enhancing our core infrastructure, which will continue over the next few years. This includes the redevelopment of the passports system, the refurbishment of the National Library building in Wellington, the development of the government digital archives system, and inter-agency access to identity verification and management systems.
Footnotes
[1] bigcities.govt.nz/survey.htm
[2] bigcities.govt.nz/survey.htm
[3] The Five Nations Passport Group comprises the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
[4] The e-Passport contains an embedded microchip, which carries a digitised photograph and other biodata (information about the holder) already held in the passport.
