49-570: The Public Service Commission ( PSC ; Māori : Te Kawa Mataaho ), called the State Services Commission until 2020, is the central public service department of New Zealand charged with overseeing, managing, and improving the performance of the state sector of New Zealand and its organisations. The PSC's official responsibilities, as defined by the State Sector Act 1988 , include: The role of PSC, as described in
98-559: A cabinet meeting separately from the Executive Council began during Edward Stafford 's first tenure as premier (1856–1861). Stafford, a long-time advocate of responsible government in New Zealand, believed the colonial government should have full control over all its affairs, without the intervention of the governor. Because the governor chaired the Executive Council, Stafford intentionally met with his ministers without
147-405: A multi-member Commission comprising a chairman and Commissioner. This point also marked a culture change towards a focus on political neutrality. The State Sector Act 1988 reverted to having a single State Services Commissioner, adding the position of Deputy State Services Commissioner. Ministers were granted some role in the appointments of departmental chief executives. There was some concern at
196-655: A number of ministerial portfolios including foreign affairs, infrastructure, regional economic development, and internal affairs. Members of Cabinet meet on a regular basis, usually weekly on a Monday, to discuss the most important issues of government policy. Matters that must be submitted to Cabinet include new legislation, involving draft government bills ; financial proposals and budget decisions; constitutional arrangements; public service changes; government responses to select committee recommendations; portfolio interests of ministers; appointments to government bodies; and international treaties. The meetings are chaired by
245-401: Is a misnomer to deem the unanimity principle of collective responsibility a constitutional convention as such. Joseph views unanimity as merely a "rule of pragmatic politics", lacking a sufficient constitutional nature to be deemed a constitutional convention. He states that, unlike a convention, governments may waive, suspend or abandon political rules, as has happened since the introduction of
294-631: Is empowered, with the agreement of the Government, to dismiss a Departmental chief executive, "for just cause or excuse". That is, the Government is by law forbidden from firing any chief executive or instructing a Commissioner to do so, but has the power to retain a chief executive against the Commissioner's advice. The position of State Services Commissioner is one of the few positions in New Zealand's public service where Ministers are directly involved. The appointment and dismissal procedures and
343-585: Is the New Zealand Government 's body of senior ministers , accountable to the New Zealand Parliament . Cabinet meetings, chaired by the prime minister , occur once a week; in them, vital issues are discussed and government policy is formulated. Cabinet is also composed of a number of committees focused on specific areas of governance and policy. Though not established by any statute , Cabinet wields significant power within
392-763: The Cabinet Manual has become the official document which governs its functions, as well as on which its convention rests. The structure of Cabinet has as its basis the formal institution known as the Executive Council , the body tasked with advising the governor-general in the exercise of their formal constitutional functions (the " Governor-General in Council "). Most ministers hold membership of both bodies, but some executive councillors, known as "ministers outside Cabinet", are not ranked as Cabinet members and do not normally attend. The convention of
441-604: The Cabinet Legislation Committee before they can be introduced to the House. Convention regarding Cabinet's authority has considerable force, and generally proves strong enough to bind its participants. Theoretically, each minister operates independently, having received a ministerial warrant over a certain field from the Crown . But the governor-general can dismiss a minister at any time, conventionally on
490-576: The Executive Council , the body tasked with advising the governor-general in the exercise of his or her formal constitutional functions. Outside Cabinet, there are a number of non-Cabinet ministers, responsible for a specific policy area and reporting directly to a senior Cabinet minister. Ministers outside Cabinet are also part of Cabinet committees and will regularly attend Cabinet meetings which concern their portfolios . Therefore, although operating outside of Cabinet directly, these ministers do not lack power and influence as they are still very much part of
539-471: The National Party , three from ACT , and three from New Zealand First . There are eight ministers outside Cabinet: five from National, two from ACT, and one from New Zealand First. Additionally, two parliamentary under-secretaries assist ministers from a parliamentary standpoint. The table below lists all ministers, as of 25 June 2024 . A Cabinet committee comprises a subset of
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#1732776267600588-683: The New Zealand political system , with nearly all government bills it introduces in Parliament being enacted. The New Zealand Cabinet follows the traditions of the British cabinet system . Members of Cabinet are collectively responsible to Parliament for its actions and policies. Cabinet discussions are confidential and are not disclosed to the public apart from the announcement of decisions. All ministers in Cabinet also serve as members of
637-470: The mixed-member proportional system (MMP) in 1993 ( see § Electoral reform ). One reform following the introduction of MMP allowed for junior parties in a coalition the ability to ' agree to disagree ' with the majority in order to manage policy differences. Following the 2011 general election the National-led government released the following statement in regards to the role of minor parties in
686-444: The 1890s, for example, there were seven Cabinet ministers. The number of ministers within Cabinet increased in the period up until the 1970s, but has plateaued at 20 since 1972 ; this despite increases in the number of members of parliament. By contrast, the numbers of ministers outside Cabinet has grown, especially since the introduction of MMP. Ministers are formally styled "The Honourable" (abbreviated to "The Hon."), except for
735-511: The Act lists a small number of circumstances in which the Commissioner is deemed to have resigned. Otherwise, the Commissioner is well protected. The Governor-General has no power to dismiss the Commissioner. The Governor-General may suspend the Commissioner under Section 16 for misbehaviour or incompetence, but must then explain why to the House of Representatives within seven sitting days; and even then
784-480: The Commissioner is safe in his position unless the House resolves within three weeks after receiving the Governor-General's explanation to remove him or her from office. Otherwise, the Commissioner is restored to office. At the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, New Zealand's public sector was widely considered to be inefficient and wasteful. The incoming MacKenzie administration launched
833-457: The Crown from becoming personally involved in employment decisions, this acts as a safeguard against politicisation of the public service. The Commissioner also has power to issue codes of conduct for parts of the public service, to investigate Government departments, and to advise the Government on the organisation of the public service. The Commissioner has a statutory duty to act independently of Ministerial direction, except in matters concerning
882-482: The House, could not govern alone. Negotiations forming the new government took nearly two months however the ultimate result being that New Zealand First were to have five ministers inside Cabinet and four outside. This translated to having 36.4% of representation in the new government. The Prime Minister following the 1996 election, Jim Bolger, was forced to tell his caucus during negotiations with New Zealand First, that he would not be able to satisfy all ambitions of
931-528: The Hunt Commission on the civil service. The Hunt Commission recommended the establishment of a Board of Management under Cabinet to have 'absolute and undisputed power' in 'all matters relating to the control and management of the Service – ... appointments, salaries, promotion, suspensions, dismissals, and indeed everything affecting officers – '. The Hunt Commission and its recommendations lead to
980-635: The Public Service Act 1912 and the role of the Public Service Commissioner. The Act and the new Commissioner removed Ministers' direct involvement in appointments and personnel administration, separating the 'political' and 'administrative' functions, both in conduct of the Government's business and in management of the Public Service itself. The State Services Act 1962 replaced the Public Service Commissioner with
1029-617: The Public Service Commissioner, Chairman of the State Services Commission, and Chief Commissioner of the Public Service Commission. The current Public Service Commissioner is Heather Baggott. The State Services Commissioner plays a central role in New Zealand's public service. One of the Commissioner's most visible roles is in the employment, supervision and dismissal of senior executives in individual Government departments; by preventing Ministers of
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#17327762676001078-598: The State Services Act, the Commissioner negotiates terms and conditions of employment with each Departmental chief executive, subject to the approval of the Prime Minister and the Minister of State Services. The Commissioner may also recommend that a given chief executive be reappointed when the executive's contract expires, though the Government is free to ignore such a recommendation. The Commissioner
1127-566: The State-owned Enterprises Act. Local government in New Zealand consists of city councils, district councils and regional councils . These are all also known as "local authorities". City councils and district councils are collectively known as territorial authorities . Local authorities may set up various council-controlled organisations for specific purposes. New Zealand Cabinet The Cabinet of New Zealand ( Māori : Te Rūnanga o te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa )
1176-423: The advice of the prime minister, so ministers are largely obliged to work within a certain framework. Cabinet itself acts as the accepted forum for establishing this framework. Ministers will jointly discuss the policy which the government as a whole will pursue, and ministers who do not exercise their respective powers in a manner compatible with Cabinet's decision risk losing those powers. This has become known as
1225-420: The appointment and dismissal of Departmental chief executives. Regarding the appointment of Departmental chief executives, the Commissioner plays a key role. The Commissioner is responsible for: The Governor-General in Council may override the Commissioner's recommendation by appointing a different person to the vacant executive post. A chief executive may not be appointed for any longer than five years. Under
1274-442: The caucus, due to the forced inclusion of the minority party into the governmental framework, thus highlighting one of the challenges that came with MMP. The result of MMP on Cabinet structure in New Zealand is also highlighted below under the § Members heading. In the coalition deal following the election New Zealand First leader Winston Peters was given the position of deputy prime minister, and New Zealand First were given
1323-501: The changes resulting from the new proportional parliament. New Zealand First received 13.4% of the party vote, giving them 17 total seats in the House of Representatives (in contrast to 8.5% in the 1993 general election, conducted under the plurality voting system ). This ultimately resulted in the National–New Zealand First coalition as the National Party , who received 33.8% of the party vote, translating to 44 seats in
1372-601: The clerk of the Executive Council where they provide a channel of communication and liaison between the Cabinet and the governor-general. The Cabinet room, where the weekly meetings are normally held, and related offices are located at the top of the Beehive (the Executive Wing of Parliament Buildings ). The prime minister assigns roles to ministers and ranks them in order to determine seniority. A minister's rank depends on factors such as "their length of service,
1421-497: The confidence of their party colleagues. An example is former Prime Minister David Lange , who publicly spoke against a tax reform package which was sponsored by then- Finance Minister Roger Douglas and supported by Cabinet. Douglas was forced to resign, but when the Cabinet supported Douglas against Lange, the Prime Minister interpreted this as a vote of no-confidence in his leadership and stepped down. Some political commentators, such as Professor Philip Joseph, have argued that it
1470-415: The context of collective responsibility: Collective responsibility applies differently in the case of support party Ministers. Support party Ministers are only bound by collective responsibility in relation to their own respective portfolios (including any specific delegated responsibilities). When support party Ministers speak about the issues in their portfolios, they speak for the government and as part of
1519-1385: The core public service. Legally, the Legislative Branch non-public service departments (the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Parliamentary Service ), Executive Branch non-public service departments , and the public service departments are all part of "the Crown". The public service in New Zealand technically consists solely of the departments listed below. (with principal campuses) See: Education in New Zealand State-owned tertiary institutions consist of universities, colleges of education (teachers colleges), polytechnics (institutes of technology) and wānanga . In addition there are numerous non-state-owned private training establishments . (and amalgamated colleges of education, with principal campus only) (with principal campus only) (with principal campus only) The following wānanga are those who have been granted Crown entity status; there are many that have not. The state enterprises are listed in Schedule 1 of
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1568-523: The decision making process. Cabinet is not established by any statute or constitutional document but exists purely by long-established constitutional convention . This convention carries sufficient weight for many official declarations and regulations to refer to Cabinet; a government department —the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet —is responsible for supporting it. Although Cabinet lacks any direct legislative framework for its existence,
1617-456: The doctrine of Cabinet collective responsibility. Collective responsibility is grounded in three key principles. The first principle is unanimity , where members of Cabinet must publicly support decisions and defend them in public, regardless of any personal views on the matter. Secondly, the confidentiality limb means that all Cabinet discussions are to be kept confidential. This allows for open and explicit conversation, discussion and debate on
1666-466: The four year plan, is "to work with leaders across the State Services to change the way agencies think, organise and operate". The Public Service Commissioner is the chief executive of the commission and has a range of responsibilities for the public service , the State Services and the wider state sector . The position has previously been known as the Public Service Commissioner, Chairman of
1715-549: The government position. Ministers outside Cabinet retain individual ministerial responsibility for the actions of their department (in common with Cabinet ministers). The 1993 electoral referendum in New Zealand resulted in a number of structural changes to Cabinet. The change to the MMP system ultimately led to a larger number of political parties in Parliament , as under the proportional representation system any political party can enter Parliament if they received five percent of
1764-497: The government. As of February 2023 , there were 10 Cabinet committees: Cabinet committees will often discuss matters under delegated authority or directly referred to them by Cabinet, and then report back the results of their deliberation. This can sometimes become a powerful tool for advancing certain policies, as was demonstrated in the Lange government . Minister of Finance Roger Douglas and his allies succeeded in dominating
1813-400: The government. When the government takes decisions within their portfolios, they must support those decisions, regardless of their personal views and whether or not they were at the meeting concerned. When support party Ministers speak about matters outside their portfolios, they may speak as political party leaders or members of Parliament rather than as Ministers, and do not necessarily support
1862-465: The governor present, thus reducing the Council to its formal role. The lack of formal legislation establishing Cabinet leaves the powers of its members only loosely defined. Cabinet generally directs and controls policy (releasing government policy statements ), and is responsible to the House of Representatives, the elected component of Parliament. It also has significant influence over law-making, and all draft government bills must be submitted to
1911-486: The importance of their portfolio and their personal standing with the prime minister". The deputy prime minister is the second-highest ranked, after the prime minister. Under MMP, there are typically three categories of minister: ministers within the 'core' Cabinet, ministers outside Cabinet, and ministers from support parties (i.e. minor parties which have agreed to support a government party during confidence and supply votes). The size of Cabinet has grown over time. In
1960-445: The issues Cabinet chooses to look at. The final principle is confidence , where Cabinet and executive government must have the confidence of the House of Representatives. If there is no government, the governor-general has the ability to intervene to find a government that does have confidence. Formally all ministers are equals and may not command or be commanded by a fellow minister. Constitutional practice does, however, dictate that
2009-438: The larger Cabinet, consisting of a number of ministers who have responsibility in related areas of policy. Cabinet committees go into considerably more detail than can be achieved at regular Cabinet meetings, discussing issues which do not need the input of ministers holding unrelated portfolios. Committee terms of reference and membership are determined by the prime minister and the exact number and makeup of committees changes with
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2058-435: The party vote or won one electorate seat. The increased representation resulted in the need to form coalitions between parties, as no single party received a majority of votes and seats under MMP until 2020. In order to govern in a coalition under MMP, it is likely that a major party will have to relinquish and offer Cabinet positions to members of a minority party. The aftermath of the first MMP election in 1996 highlighted
2107-495: The position of Deputy State Services Commissioner, who is appointed on the same terms and conditions as the Commissioner. National Labour Public sector organisations in New Zealand Public sector organisations in New Zealand comprise the state sector organisations plus those of local government . Within the state sector lies the state services , and within this lies
2156-488: The prime minister is primus inter pares , meaning 'first among equals'. Problems arise when the prime minister breaches collective responsibility. Since ministerial appointments and dismissals are in practice in the hands of the prime minister, Cabinet can not directly initiate any action against a prime minister who openly disagrees with their government's policy. On the other hand, a prime minister who tries to act against concerted opposition from their Cabinet risks losing
2205-488: The prime minister or, in the prime minister's absence, the next most senior minister in attendance, usually the deputy prime minister. Ministers outside Cabinet may occasionally be invited for the discussion of particular items with which they have been closely involved. All Cabinet meetings are held behind closed doors, and the minutes are taken by the Cabinet secretary and kept confidential. However, usually shortly after
2254-554: The prime minister who is accorded the style " The Right Honourable " ("The Rt. Hon."). Previously, several senior ministers used "The Right Honourable" by virtue of membership of the Privy Council before appointments were discontinued in 2000. Currently, Winston Peters retains this style due to his appointment as a member of the Privy Council in 1998. The current ministry has a Cabinet of 20 ministers: 14 from
2303-663: The term of office are set forth in the State Sector Act 1988, as amended from time to time. Section 3 of the Act specifies that the Commissioner is to be appointed by the Governor-General in Council on the recommendation of the Prime Minister . Section 13 limits the term of office to five years, though this term may be further reduced in the Order in Council in which the appointment is made. Section 17 of
2352-686: The time that this would revert the system to a pre-1912 state. Following the Review of the Centre in 2001, the State Sector Amendment Act (No 2) 2004 and the Crown Entities Act 2004 extended the role of the Commissioner beyond the Public Service to the wider State Services (such as Crown entities , but not Crown Research Institutes ), and beyond State Services to the wider state sector. The State Sector Act establishes
2401-408: The weekly meeting the prime minister holds a press conference to discuss important national issues. The Cabinet secretary and their deputy are the only non-ministers who attend Cabinet meetings. They are not political appointments and their role at Cabinet meetings is to formulate and record the Cabinet's decisions and advise on procedure, not to offer policy advice. The secretary has a dual role as
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