Our organisation

The Department has six branches:

• Strategy and Governance branch
• Information and Knowledge Services branch
• Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management
• Policy, Regulatory and Ethnic Affairs branch
• Service Delivery and Operations branch 
• Service and System Transformation branch
• Shared Services branch
• Related Information

In addition to the groups and functions listed below, each branch includes a Development and Support group, to provide direct support to the Deputy CE on strategic and business issues.

Strategy and Governance branch

The role of the Strategy and Governance branch is to provide strategic management and governance support to the Chief Executive and the Executive Leadership Team. Collectively it is accountable for:

• facilitating effective governance of the Department
• leading and facilitating development of the Department's strategic direction
• working collaboratively with the branches and Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management to successfully achieve the Department's strategic priorities.

It has the following groups:

• Legal
• Organisational Performance:
  • Strategy and Planning
  • Governance and Assurance

Information and Knowledge Services branch

The role of the branch is to:

• manage the storage, preservation, and conservation of knowledge, information, heritage collections and taonga
• promote efficient and innovative access to those collections for the benefit of government and New Zealanders

The Information and Knowledge Service branch includes the following groups and functions:

National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

The National Library is established under its own Act of Parliament. The Director is the National Librarian.

The National Library:

• develops and maintains the Crown’s documentary heritage collections, principally the Alexander Turnbull Library
• makes the National Library’s collections accessible in order to provide for the most advantageous use of those collections and resources
• supplements and furthers the work of other libraries in New Zealand
• works collaboratively with other institutions having similar purposes, including those forming part of the international library community.
• provides other services that include access to information resources and bibliographic and school services
• promotes cooperation and work collaboratively with others on library matters within New Zealand and overseas

The National Library has the following four units:

• Alexander Turnbull Library
• Content Services
• Literacy, Learning & Public Programmes
• National Digital Library

Find out more about the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

Archives New Zealand, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Archives New Zealand is the guardian of the record of government. Its holdings include the originals of the Treaty of Waitangi, government documents, maps, plans, paintings, film and sound recordings. The General Manager is the Chief Archivist.

Archives New Zealand:

• manages the Public Records Act 2005 and works with government agencies to administer the Act  
• makes sure records of government decision making are created and those of long-term value, including digital, are transferred into its care
• provides recordkeeping advice and information to government agencies
• makes public archives accessible to government departments, other organisations and the public
• manages the public archives in a protected and secure environment
• provides leadership and support for archival activities across New Zealand.

Archives New Zealand has the following four units:

• Regional & Access Services
• Archives Management
• Government Recordkeeping
• Māori & Community Archives

Find out more about Archives New Zealand, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Government Information Services (GIS)

• provides information management for the Department
• provides information standards and advisory for all of government
• provides web information service delivery for all of government
• Authentication Unit, NZ Gazette, the Translation Service
  
  • authentication of NZ-issued documents for use overseas
  • publication of the New Zealand Gazette
  • translation services

Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management

The Ministry provides national leadership in the civil defence and emergency management (CDEM) sector. Its primary purpose is to lead New Zealand in reducing risk, being ready for, responding to and recovering from disasters. The branch includes the following roles and functions:

• establishing the national level capability and arrangements for responding to civil defence emergencies
• providing national leadership of the CDEM sector, including the development of standards and guidance
• supporting capability development of the local and regional level CDEM sector
• leading a coordinated national public education campaign
• monitoring and coordinating the use of resources in the CDEM sector
• directing and controlling the response during a state of national emergency.

For more information see:

• Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (corporate website)
• Get Ready Get Thru (public information website)
• What’s the Plan Stan (public information website for schools)

Policy, Regulatory and Ethnic Affairs branch

The role of the branch is to:

• provide policy advice to the Department’s Ministers
• perform regulatory and compliance operations
• provide advice and services relating to Ethnic Affairs
• carry out monitoring of, and advice on appointments for a number of Crown Entities

The Policy, Regulatory and Ethnic Affairs branch includes the following groups and functions:

Policy

• Local government and community, voluntary and sector policy
• Local government operations
• Gambling, racing and censorship policy
• Identity policy (including policy relating to citizenship, passports and the registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil unions)
• Civil defence emergency management policy
• Policy relating to the provision and funding of New Zealand's fire services
• General policy (including policy relating to daylight saving, public inquiries and commissions of inquiry)
• Knowledge, Information, Research & Technology policy (including library, archives and public records policy)
• Strategic analysis and information

Regulatory Services

• Electronic messaging compliance (anti-spam)
• Censorship compliance
• Gambling compliance
• Intelligence operations
• Financial integrity (anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism)
• Complaints, investigations and prosecutions
• Operational policy

Approach to Compliance and Enforcement

The Department's approach to compliance and enforcement in this area is set out in the document:

• Minimising Harm - Maximising Benefit

Office of Ethnic Affairs

• see our website: ethnicaffairs.govt.nz
• see our organisational structure
• Language Line telephone interpreting services

Crown Entity Monitoring and Appointments

• Crown Entities, Statutory Bodies and Trusts

Service Delivery and Operations branch

The role of the branch is to provide public-facing services and operations for community development grants and advice, passport and citizenship applications, birth, death, marriage, civil union and name change registrations, and identity verification and authentication services.

The Service Delivery and Operations branch includes the following groups of functions:

Community Operations

• Regional Service Delivery.  Includes community development advisors in four regional teams:
  • Northern Region
  • Central Region
  • Lower North Island Region
  • Southern Region (South Island)
• Funding Operations & Policy.  Includes support for:
  • the Lottery Grants Board and its committees
  • the Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS) and other Crown Funding Schemes
  • the following Trusts and Fellowships:
    • Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust
    • New Zealand Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
    • Norman Kirk Memorial Trust
    • Pacific Development and Conservation Trust
    • Peace and Disarmament Education Trust
    • Disarmament Education UN Implementation Fund  

For more information see communitymatters.govt.nz

Charities

• maintains a register of New Zealand charities and promotes confidence in the charitable sector. See Charities website.

Passports

• provides functions relating to passports operations. See Passports website.

Citizenship

• provides functions relating to citizenship operations. See New Zealand citizenship.

Births, Deaths and Marriages

• registers and maintains New Zealand birth, death, marriage, civil union and name change information and provides access to that information by issuing certificates and printouts. The BDM office also appoints marriage and civil union celebrants, and issues certificates of no impediment for people who wish to marry or enter into a civil union overseas. See Births, deaths and marriages.

Customer Services

• provides customer services for:
  
  • passports
  • citizenship
  • births, deaths and marriages, civil unions, name changes and related services.

Service and System Transformation branch

Government ICT Strategy and Planning

The role of the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) is to provide leadership on ICT matters within government. The aim is lower cost, higher quality public services. The GCIO is supported by the Government ICT Strategy and Planning unit.

Government has given a mandate to the Department to provide leadership in information and communications technology (ICT) to drive performance improvement across the system. This responsibility spans across the spectrum of technology through to information, data and service delivery improvements.

Find out more about the the Department's work in all-of-government ICT.

Government Technology Services (GTS)

• provides ICT infrastructure management and service delivery to the Department
• provides operational support for the all-of-government ICT Strategy

GTS has the following eight units:

• Service Assurance
• Service Planning
• Service Desk and Delivery
• Service Management
• Security
• Infrastructure
• Professional Services & Programme Delivery
• Architecture

Government ICT Supply Management Office (GISMO)

• manages contracts and supplier relationships
• sets sourcing strategy for GTS
• carries out ICT procurement for the Department and all of government

Service Transformation

Service Transformation has responsibility for delivering on Result 10 of the Government's 'Better Public Services' programme: "New Zealanders can complete their transactions with government easily in a digital environment" announced on 15 March 2012.

Shared Services branch

The Shared Services branch provides corporate support functions to other business groups in the Department, in communications, finance, human resources, property, procurement and administration. It is also the home to Ministerial Services and Secretariat Support.

Ministerial and Secretariat Services

• Ministerial Support unit provides office support and staffing to the Prime Minister and Ministers of the Crown and manages Ministerial residential accommodation and Civil List entitlements. It also administers the Beehive website.
• VIP Transport Service provides a chauffeur-driven service to Ministers and other customers, including the Leader of the Opposition and senior Judges, and manages Ministerial self-drive vehicles.
• Visits and Ceremonial Office organises and coordinates visits of guests of government, state and ministerial functions and ceremonies and state and official ceremonies. It also organises national commemorative events, such as Anzac Day and provides a flag hire service.
• Secretariat Support provides secretariat functions for several entities:
  • The Gambling Commission
  • The Local Government Commission
  • Commissions of Inquiry and ad hoc bodies
  • The Library and Information Advisory Commission, Ngā Kaiwhakamārama i ngā Kohikohinga Kōrero
  • The Public Lending Right Advisory Group
  • The Guardians Kaitiaki of the Alexander Turnbull Library
  • The Archives Council
  • The Film and Literature Board of Review
  • Confidential Listening and Assistance Service.

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Related Information

Read our Disclosure of chief executive expenses, gifts and hospitality

Read the Department's Performance Improvement Framework Assessment

Read about the Kōtui Procurement Review (National Library of New Zealand)