Resource material › Corporate Publications › Statement of Intent 2011-14Tauāki Whakamaunga AtuOperating intentions
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Contributing to outcomes – services to people and communities
Contribution to objectives – services to government
Contributing to outcomes – services to people and communities
Achieving the long-term outcomes and objectives identified earlier relies on the collective actions of countless individuals and organisations. This section specifically outlines the Department’s role and priorities in providing services to people, communities and government. The Department will adapt to changes in the operating environment and respond to new priorities as they emerge.
Internal Affairs provides a wide range of services directly to New Zealand’s people and communities to help maintain and improve their overall quality of life. The Department’s outcomes are:
New Zealand’s diverse people and communities/hapū/iwi are resilient and prosperous
New Zealand is recognised for creating, sharing and using knowledge for social, cultural and economic well-being
The people of New Zealand have a strong and valued national identity, culture and heritage.
The Department has identified six impacts that delineate how it seeks to contribute to these outcomes.
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
For each of these impacts, the following pages describe what the Department is seeking to achieve, how the Department will achieve this, and the key initiatives over the next three years. The indicators for the impacts are on pages 63–65.
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Each section also includes a reference diagram that portrays how the impact contributes to the intermediate outcomes and outcomes of the Department. The shaded sections of the diagram denote the impact being described, and the intermediate outcomes and outcomes that are affected through these services.
For example, the following diagram highlights the relationship between the Department’s impact of people and communities to understand and manage hazards and risks and the outcome New Zealand’s diverse people and communities/hapū/iwi are resilient and prosperous.
The box highlighted in the outer circle identifies the impact being described (people and communities to understand and manage hazards and risks). This impact contributes to one intermediate outcome in the middle circle, people live in safe and secure environments by providing people with the information and resources to create safer places. A safe and secure environment creates a platform for individuals and communities to participate and engage in their society. In doing so, this ultimately contributes to the outcome shaded in the centre circle, fostering the resilience and prosperity of New Zealand’s diverse people and communities/hapū/iwi (outcome).
People and communities understand
and manage hazards and risks
What are we seeking to achieve?
The Department protects people and communities by helping them to prepare for emergencies and prevent social harm. It acts to ensure that individuals and families living in New Zealand know how to protect themselves from being exploited by gambling, unsolicited electronic messages, objectionable and restricted publications, financial crime and other criminal activities. The Department advises people on how to respond to these situations so that people and communities are aware of, and put in place measures to minimise, the harm from hazards and risks.
What will we do to achieve this?
Support communities to manage through emergencies
The Department is the lead government agency for civil defence emergency management in New Zealand. It uses a combination of approaches to help communities, households and individuals prepare for civil defence emergencies, and to increase their ability to respond in the aftermath of these events. The Department runs public education campaigns that aim to increase people’s awareness of, and preparation for, hazards and risks. It also provides resources for use in schools and for local authorities to use in community campaigns.
During a national emergency, the Department plays a critical role in supporting recovery and response to events. Through the National Crisis Management Centre, the Department ensures a coordinated approach, at both national and community levels, to emergencies. It provides overall management and coordination of responses and actively supports local authorities, Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) groups and other stakeholders during events like the September 2010 and February 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch.
Prevent social harm
Internal Affairs also seeks to minimise the potential social harm through its role in enforcing unsolicited electronic messages, gambling, and censorship compliance. In addition to enforcing regulation, it works with community groups to help give them the ability to reduce the risk of social harm.
Unsolicited commercial electronic messages (spam)
The Department combats spam to promote a safer and more secure environment for the use of information and communications technology. It engages with the public, government agencies and business to reduce impediments to the uptake and effective use of information technology and to reduce the cost to business of the wider communications that arise from spam. This engagement supports industry groups, including telecommunications providers, to understand the importance of good marketing practice and the appropriate use of information and communications technology.
Censorship
In addition to regulating spam, Internal Affairs, through its role in censorship compliance, helps protect New Zealand society from the harm caused by the unrestricted availability of restricted and objectionable material. The Department also monitors the performance of the Office of Film and Literature Classification, which determines the classification of publications, disseminates information about the classification system to the public, receives complaints and inquiries, and provides research services.
Gambling
Internal Affairs provides regulation and enforcement to support the minimisation of gambling-related harm. The Department collaborates with the Ministry of Health, gambling service providers and researchers to monitor and address issues related to preventing and minimising gambling-related harm. It also works directly with community interest groups, the general public and local authorities to ensure effective community understanding of the gambling environment.
2011–14 Key initiatives
The Department’s key initiatives over the next three years are:
Support the recovery from the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake
Internal Affairs will continue to support Christchurch city as it recovers and will contribute to the Government’s response.
Strengthen the statutory framework for recovery after a major civil defence event
Implement the recommendations of a review of the response to the Canterbury earthquakes and the lessons learned
Lead the national management of civil defence emergencies
The Department is planning to establish an alternative National Crisis Management Centre in Auckland, which can act as a back-up to the national centre in Wellington.
The Department will assess the cost and feasibility of options for using telecommunications to provide a public alert system to send out notifications of alerts and warnings to the public.
Support the development of community resilience
The Department intends to update the advertising material used in the Get Ready, Get Thru mass media campaign.
Internal Affairs is planning a nationwide civil defence exercise for November 2012, Exercise Shakeout, which is expected to involve many members of the public, as well as local authorities.
Prevent and raise awareness of social harm
This year, the Department will further extend a programme that enables problem gamblers to exclude themselves from gambling venues within a defined area. The programme is currently operating in a number of locations throughout the country.
Together with non-governmental agencies with an interest in child welfare, the Department will be working to raise public awareness of online child exploitation.
The Department is working with the Film and Video Labelling Body to improve the information on the labelling and classification process available to ethnic communities so that they are informed, and to encourage voluntary compliance. This would be demonstrated with the ethnic outlets’ greater use of applications to the Labelling Body and fewer complaints of non-compliance.
Participants in regulated activities
behave responsibly and with integrity
What are we seeking to achieve?
The Department works with businesses and organisations operating in its sectors of formal regulatory control, such as the gambling sector, film and literature distribution, and retail companies and financial institutions. Internal Affairs seeks to ensure that these participants comply with regulations governing their activities. It uses a range of regulatory tools so that the behaviour of participants in activities that are controlled by regulations covering gambling, censorship, anti-spam, anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism exceeds the minimum requirements of the regulations, and protects people from harm.
What will we do to achieve this?
Provide education, advice and enforcement to ensure regulated sectors comply with their obligations
The Department is responsible for ensuring the appropriate regulation and compliance of activity in gambling; anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism; censorship; and anti-spam. A key focus of the Department’s activities is to encourage operators to comply voluntarily with the law.
The Department works with the gambling sector to help keep gambling in New Zealand fair and honest. It applies a wide array of regulatory tools designed to assist compliance and to compel compliance where necessary. These tools range from education and advice to resolve minor non-compliance, through to licence suspensions and prosecutions to address significant non-compliance. The Department continues to build its understanding of better compliance practice and its use of intelligence to ensure its regulatory responses are well informed.
Under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009, Internal Affairs’ role is to supervise specific business sectors to ensure they comply with legislation. The Department will monitor businesses to ensure they fulfil their statutory requirements and undertake supervision, investigation and enforcement functions. It will also work closely with other key agencies and international bodies to ensure New Zealand’s regime is effective and compliant with international standards.
Another piece of recent legislation, the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigator Act 2010, included the establishment of a new role for the Department and will see it provide a complaints, investigation and prosecutions function for the licensing authority established to regulate private security personnel and private investigators.
The Department will continue to work with businesses and industry groups to improve compliance with censorship and anti-spam legislation. Internal Affairs will collaborate with the Police, Customs and overseas enforcement agencies to share information and resources, collaboratively investigate and prevent crime, and inform policy development relating to censorship matters. Using its specialist expertise, the Department will run a digital child exploitation filtering system to reduce the amount of harmful material that is available and continue to encourage Internet service providers to adopt this filter. The Department will also continue its work to reduce spam through a regulatory approach that includes education, formal warnings, enforceable undertakings, infringement notices and prosecutions.
2011–14 Key initiatives
The Department’s key initiatives over the next three years are:
Improve compliance with gambling laws and the integrity of funding practices
The Department will continue developing the integrated gambling platform, which is intended to be complete in 2012. The platform will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of gambling regulation and enhance information-gathering, analysis and reporting.
Support the New Zealand Racing Board and the racing code bodies as they establish a Racing Integrity Unit
The Department will work with the New Zealand Racing Board and the racing code bodies to establish a Racing Integrity Unit to police the rules of racing to remove any conflict of interest in the enforcement of the rules. The Department will encourage all codes to support the Unit, and delegate the necessary powers to it.
Develop tools that protect people from material that is injurious to the public good
Together with the Film and Video Labelling Body, Internal Affairs is developing a new approach to affixing and printing classification labels on DVD and computer game packaging. These will be available once legislation is passed by Government and will result in time and cost efficiencies for businesses.
The Department will be developing software to assist in detecting and prosecuting offences that take place on Internet networks.
Establish and implement new regulatory functions
With its new function under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigator Act 2010, the Department will particularly focus on establishing and strengthening relationships with private security operators and organisations, the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority, and other government agencies.
Internal Affairs will continue work to establish an anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism unit so that it is fully functional when the legislation takes effect in early 2013.
People have the capability to participate
in their communities and across communities
What are we seeking to achieve?
The Department seeks to promote a culture of lifelong learning and engagement, where people are aware, knowledgeable, resourced and skilled to participate in their own communities and contribute more broadly to society. Internal Affairs does this by providing access to information and resources, providing advice and funding to support community development, and advising government agencies on how to involve community members in policy-making and service delivery.
What will we do to achieve this?
Provide advice and information that helps make communities stronger
The Department is committed to helping New Zealand build strong communities. It works with groups and individuals in advisory and supporting roles to give them the resources and skills to contribute in positive ways to their communities. Through its network of offices throughout the country, Internal Affairs works with communities and community groups to develop their capability, advises community groups on grant funding options, and helps to connect community groups with the wider local and central government system.
In addition to providing direct advice, the Department also provides online resources, such as CommunityNet Aotearoa, Keeping it Legal E Ai Ki Te Ture, online resources for communities, good practice tools for agencies to build productive relationships with communities, online resource for communities, online services and support to schools and school libraries, and the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa, which provides broadband connections to libraries (or community centres and marae if there is no library) to enable free public Internet services. The Department will also continue to provide the Community Archive as an online centre for New Zealand’s organisations to showcase and store their archival collections. These resources are intended to lift the digital literacy in communities and strengthen the ability of individuals or groups to participate in and better understand their community.
The projected rise in ethnic communities presents New Zealand with many economic, cultural and social opportunities. Internal Affairs seeks to encourage and promote the benefits that ethnic diversity offers New Zealand. The Department is especially focusing on increasing access to economic development opportunities and employment for ethnic communities. It does this by offering expert advice on the benefits and challenges of ethnic diversity, building capacity across the ethnic and mainstream sector, and building and maintaining strong connections between ethnic communities and government, iwi and the private sector.
Enhance access to community funding
The Department seeks to support people and communities to have the resources, as well as the skills and information, to participate in and across their communities. Through its role in the gambling sector, Internal Affairs helps to ensure that the proceeds from gambling activity are applied appropriately and for the benefit of the community. The Department’s role in monitoring the performance of the Charities Commission further supports New Zealand to have confidence in the charitable sector and the effective and efficient application of its resources to intended purposes.
Internal Affairs also provides administrative and operational support to grant decision-making boards and panels associated with the Crown and New Zealand Lottery grant funds, the Lottery Grants Board and six trusts. It supports these bodies to together distribute more than $170 million of community funding each year.
2011–14 Key initiatives
The Department’s key initiatives over the next three years are:
Structure for effectiveness
The Department will implement a new online grants and client management system by June 2012. It will replace the existing ‘Grants Online’ website that applicants use to apply for grants. The new system will be more efficient for applicants and the Department’s staff who administer grants.
The Department will develop and implement new approaches to its Crown-funded schemes. The foci will be on establishing and evaluating a community-led development model, and continuing to support community-based digital literacy and connection initiatives.
The Department will review the allocation of responsibilities between Vote Community and Voluntary Sector and other votes (e.g. Vote Internal Affairs) to ensure the best allocation of responsibilities between those votes and to ensure the best outcomes for each.
Improve regulation
Following on from a series of technical amendments to the Charities Act 2005, the Department will review the Act and regulations to ensure they reflects the needs of the charitable sector. The review is scheduled for completion by 2015.
Set and deliver quality
The Department will progress work on Kia Tutahi proposals for a community-government accord and associated actions to strengthen the relationships on critical cross-cutting issues.
Seize opportunity in the community and voluntary sector
In 2011, Internal Affairs will continue activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Volunteer. Activities will highlight the valuable contribution volunteers make to the community.
Strengthen the community-led and pubic sector knowledge of social lending through seminars and workshops.
Empower ethnic communities through increased government responsiveness
Develop baseline statistical indicators for ethnic people. These findings will raise awareness of the well-being of New Zealand’s ethnic communities, improve the government services available, and provide a foundation for future reporting on the well-being of ethnic communities.
Maximise ethnic people’s transnational networks and cultural skills for domestic economic gains
Provide regional forums that provide information on business services available, using the free trade agreements and the community’s contribution, and building relationships between ethnic businesses, mainstream businesses, and economic development agencies.
Maintain New Zealand’s reputation as a successful model of social harmony through celebrating our multi-ethnic and multi-faith society
Internal Affairs will support the United Nations’ initiative, Alliance of Civilizations, by coordinating cross-government activities domestically and the National Plan of Action. This initiative builds understanding between cultures and traditions to counter polarisation and extremism.
Collaborate and partner for greater efficiency
The Department will implement a new subscription-based business model to make the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa, which enables free public Internet services, financially sustainable by 2012.
People are able to access and use
information important to their lives
What are we seeking to achieve?
Internal Affairs facilitates access to collections of facts, opinions, ideas and artistic expressions through information stored by Archives New Zealand and the National Library. These services are intended to give people opportunities to add value to information by creating new knowledge and generating new economic activity.
The Department seeks to provide information, advice and expertise so that people, whether in New Zealand or overseas, might have the opportunities and means of using and retrieving information that meets their needs and supports their participation in society. A key part of this is its role in developing a centre of expertise in government’s online presence.
Internal Affairs also maintains New Zealand’s official record of personal identity information. It seeks to ensure that people have appropriate and secure access to their records, and provides this information in a manner that enables people to access services and entitlements.
What will we do to achieve this?
Provide access to collections of information
The Department supports the creation and application of knowledge in New Zealand’s culture and economy through enhancing access to information.
The Department’s collections contain a vast quantity of information, which it makes available through a variety of channels including online services, reading room facilities and interloans to other libraries. The Department also provides services to other libraries, such as collaborative national purchasing arrangements for bibliographic services and collection materials, helping make this information accessible to many people.
Internal Affairs enables people to access the information it holds either in person or through a range of technologies. The Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa broadband service provides free access to information on the Internet through public libraries, marae or community centres. The Department’s services to schools provide nationwide access to specialist resources to support literacy and learning. The Department also provides services directly to students. For example, Internal Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and public libraries, provides an online homework help service, AnyQuestions.co.nz, as a free online reference service for New Zealand school students.
The Department also gives researchers access to government records and heritage material, acquired by purchase or donation, dating back many decades, either directly, online or through third parties. The National Digital Heritage Archive enables the preservation of digital information, while Digital New Zealand makes millions of digital items accessible for discovery and re-use.
Make personal information available to use
As kaitiaki (guardian) of New Zealand’s core identity information, Internal Affairs maintains information that is valuable to individuals because of its quality, form and management. The Department provides day-to-day services and products that are essential to the public – from issuing New Zealand passports and travel documents to registering births and issuing birth certificates. Through rigorous systems and authentication technology, Internal Affairs ensures the New Zealand public has appropriate access to information through channels that protect the privacy of their identity information. The integrity of the Department’s systems and validity of personal information ensure that people can rely on this information to access government entitlements and services. This will be further enabled by the igovt suite of services.
The Department also enables people to make use of valuable documents and information for personal or business benefit. It provides authentication or translation services that enable people to make use of documents and information. It is also leading the development of web and data strategies, architecture, standards and delivery which will support New Zealand people to access information important to their lives.
2011–14 Key initiatives
The Department’s key initiatives over the next three years are:
Implement the New Generation Strategy to modernise the National Library’s services
The Department will redesign the National Library’s frontline services to coincide with the National Library’s return to its Wellington building in 2012. A comprehensive service redesign, including new visitor and online experiences for researchers and repositioned services to schools, will be in place for the reopening of the building.
Ensuring the integrity of identity information
Providing leadership in identity information management across government: through delivery of the all-of-government Identity Common Capability Programme
This includes the igovt Identity Verification Service, igovt Logon Service and the Data Validation Access Service components of the Identity Common Capability Programme
Progress digital service delivery
The Department will complete the World War One data project and exhibition. Archives New Zealand is working with the New Zealand Defence Force to make all pre-1921 military personnel files available online. This will be completed before commemoration activities for the First World War centenary beginning in 2014.
New Zealand’s documentary record is protected and
available for current and future generations
What are we seeking to achieve?
The Department maintains the collective memory of the nation and makes it available for use through its archival and library collections. As the holder of New Zealand’s documentary heritage and public record, it seeks to ensure a continuous record is protected and available for people to access now and in the future.
What will we do to achieve this?
Build collections of national importance
The Department collects, stores, preserves and makes accessible documents that record the lives, actions, ideas and beliefs of New Zealanders, as well as national events. These are comprehensive government and societal collections that have built up over many years, and include printed documents, photographs, art works, sound, oral history, music, film, maps and electronic resources.
These national collections include significant heritage collections, such as Māori and Pacific records, which the Department holds on behalf of the people of New Zealand. Internal Affairs is continually adding documents and records to these collections as a result of the Public Record Act 2005 obligations on government agencies to maintain the public record. Administering the legal deposit system for publishers, receiving donations of unpublished material, and developing the collections through the purchasing of new and heritage items also contribute to the building of a comprehensive documentary record for New Zealand. The Department makes its significant collections available for general use at its reading room facilities, through libraries or online.
Protect and preserve collections for future generations
The Department also seeks to protect and preserve these national collections for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations. It maintains, preserves and protects its collections using specialist storage facilities and staff expertise in preserving old, damaged or delicate documents and other formats. It also works with Māori to help them access and preserve their cultural records.
In addition to preserving older historic content, Internal Affairs is also acquiring and storing an increasing number of items in a digital format. As ‘born digital’ content becomes more prevalent, its digital repository will ensure the long-term preservation and availability of this content.
The Department works with a range of agencies to maintain and preserve records that may have long-term value. For example, the Chief Archivist issues disposal authorities to government agencies, allowing those agencies to transfer valuable records to Archives New Zealand.
2011–14 Key initiatives
The Department’s key initiatives over the next three years are:
Improve access and preservation of heritage collections
The redevelopment of the National Library’s Wellington building will be completed in 2012. This initiative will see heritage collections in Wellington kept in appropriate environments and expand its capacity to provide sufficient storage until 2030.
The Department will add a further 350,000 digitised pages to Papers Past (a website containing more than one million pages of digitised New Zealand newspapers and periodicals covering the years 1839 to 1945) and the AtoJs Online web services (website contains digitised reports from selected volumes of the Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives) to increase access to New Zealand heritage information. This will contribute to an increase of a million digitised images accessible online over a two-year period to 2012.
Advance the management of the Government’s digital information
The project to develop the Government Digital Archive will be completed in 2013. This initiative will include developing a secure system to accept, store, preserve and provide ongoing access to important government digital information. The new digital archive is being designed in close consultation with public sector agencies and builds on the Government’s previous investment in the National Digital Heritage Archive.
New Zealand’s personal identity
information has integrity
What are we seeking to achieve?
The Department records, and maintains the official record of, personal information about individuals’ life events that occur in New Zealand. This identity information is fundamental to an open and democratic society; it enables people to record and use their identity information to access other State sector services and entitlements, as well as participate in civic society and add value to economic activity. In this way, the Department seeks to maintain people’s and organisations’ confidence in using its identity products and information with the knowledge that this information is managed safely and securely.
What will we do to achieve this?
Provide secure and reliable identity information
In its capacity as kaitiaki (guardian), the Department maintains the security, reliability and quality of New Zealand’s personal identity records. Internal Affairs collects, manages and stores these records in a way that ensures they cannot be altered, damaged, or accessed by unauthorised people, and prevents alteration or fraudulent use of its identity products. The Department’s management approach not only enables people to use its information with confidence, but has also given New Zealand a strong international reputation for high standards of integrity. This reputation for secure and reliable identity information enables New Zealand passport holders to remain eligible for numerous visa waiver programmes.
Provide leadership in identity information management
Internal Affairs provides leadership in the public sector on all aspects of identity information management. Its Identity Common Capability Programme coordinates identity assurance activity across government to ensure a consistent and secure approach to managing identity information.
As part of this, the Department has developed, and is continuing to develop, a number of technology products or services that allow individuals to make direct use of the data it holds about them. The igovt Identity Verification Service (IVS) is part of the All-of-government Identity Common Capability Programme and will provide the public with the means to verify their identity online, and in real time, when seeking services from a government agency. It includes three initiatives:
igovt logon – a single logon that can be used with many government service providers
the Identity Verification Service – which allows people to prove their identity online
the Data Validation Service – which enables people and organisations to check that the details on an Internal Affairs-issued document (e.g. birth certificate) are consistent with what is recorded in the database or register.
These products are being developed to give organisations a high degree of confidence in the identity information they are given. The Department also provides risk assessments and advice on identity-related matters to government agencies.
2011–14 Key initiatives
The Department’s key initiatives over the next three years are:
Ensure the integrity of identity information
The Department will upgrade the core Births, Deaths and Marriages system to enable the expansion of online services, and to improve the effectiveness of the Department’s processes. Replacement of the Citizenship Operating System is also planned for 2012.
Internal Affairs will introduce online passport applications. Online passport renewals will provide the basis for making it possible to make any passport application online. A fully online service is planned for 2013/14.
The Data Validation Service will be made available for parts of the private sector to enable them to fulfil their obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act. This will be available from late 2012.
The Identity Verification Service (IVS) will move from being a limited to full service. This is expected in late 2012. The initial implementation phase of the igovt IVS project included the deployment of a limited service to genealogists, a select group of customers. It is expected that the service will be available for the wider public in late 2012. Full implementation of the IVS is dependent on the passing of the Electronic Identity Verification Bill and agreement on future funding.
The Department will focus on improving and expanding access to igovt services for customers. It will continue negotiations with the New Zealand Post Group to develop an agreement that maintains the high level of public confidence and trust in the way people’s information is managed by government.
Contribution to objectives – services to government
The activities undertaken by the government, both central and local government, make up a large proportion of the New Zealand economy, and the services it delivers significantly affect the lives of people.
The transparency and accountability of government are fundamental to enhancing trust in government, fostering improved agency performance and supporting people to live in a well-functioning, civic society. Along with the government’s central agencies (the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Treasury, and the State Services Commission), the Department seeks to maximise its contribution to ensure public sector organisations have the capability and capacity to deliver services that “improve the lives and wellbeing of New Zealanders, help solve social problems and improve the prospects of the next generation”.3
The Department indirectly contributes to all government outcomes by pursuing the following objective:
To enhance trust in New Zealand government and confidence in the performance of public sector organisations.
The Department provides a wide range of services to public sector organisations (public service departments; non-public service departments; Offices of Parliament; Crown agents; autonomous Crown entities; independent Crown entities; trust boards; statutory bodies; and territorial and local authorities). These activities enable other organisations to carry out their business and, ultimately, deliver better results to the New Zealand public. It does this by:
enhancing the productivity and accountability of public sector organisations
supporting specialist capability-building in other nations
supporting the system of government to operate efficiently and effectively.
The following pages describe the Department’s contribution to each of these objectives and the key initiatives over the next three years. The indicators for the supporting objectives are on pages 66–67.
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Each section also includes a reference diagram that portrays how the Department’s supporting objectives contribute to its objectives. The shaded sections of the diagram denote the relevant lead objective and supporting objectives. While the supporting objectives represent the primary areas of contribution, the Department recognises that all of its services contribute to varying degrees to its lead objectives.
For example, the diagram below highlights how the following supporting objectives contribute to the Department’s work to enhance the productivity and accountability of public sector organisations (middle circle).
capability across public sector organisations to work with and respond to communities,
capability across public sector organisations to carry out regulatory responsibilities,
capability of public sector organisations to keep secure and maintain the integrity of public records and personal information.
The Department’s services in these three areas, shaded in the diagram, ultimately support the productivity and accountability of public sector organisations and trust in New Zealand government and confidence in the performance of public sector organisations.
To enhance the productivity and accountability
of public sector organisations
The Department has a variety of mechanisms it can use to influence public sector organisations to make sure they have the staff, systems and infrastructure in place to contribute to their outcomes. It does this by working to:
increase capability across public sector organisations to respond to the needs of communities
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.
Capability across public sector organisations to work with and respond to communities
The Department plays a major role in enhancing the collective productivity of public sector organisations by helping them understand and respond to the needs of varied communities. Internal Affairs uses its expertise, resources, infrastructure and advice to help other agencies respond to the needs of diverse communities.
The Department strives to strengthen the relationship between government and the community sector, and to increase understanding of the size and scope of the community and voluntary sector, and its vital contribution to New Zealand. It does this through research and analysis, providing policy advice, and providing good-practice standards, guides, tools and seminars to improve the public service response on cross-cutting issues such as funding and engagement.
Internal Affairs also provides advice, information and tools to support departments in their work with ethnic communities. It has developed tools and resources for managers to use when managing diverse workforces, such as those with migrant workers. This was originally developed for government agencies, but has been extended to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Capability across public sector organisations to carry out regulatory responsibilities
The Department provides particular support to the civil defence emergency management (CDEM) sector at a local and national level through professional development, standards and guidelines, and regional advice and liaison. Its Emergency Management Information System (EMIS) is available for national and regional CDEM groups and will improve their responsiveness to needs in emergencies.
The Department has taken a lead role in the move towards developing common capabilities across agencies as part of the Compliance Common Capability Programme. This work includes developing a guide for organisational compliance, intended for use in both central and local government sectors, in collaboration with Standards New Zealand and a range of agencies. In partnership with Learning State, the Programme is also developing qualifications for public servants working in the compliance area, to introduce consistent standards and practices across the public and local government sectors.
Capability of public sector organisations to keep secure and maintain the integrity of public records and personal information
In addition to improving productivity, the Department promotes public accountability by maintaining a continuous public record of the government’s actions and decisions. It works with public agencies to provide recordkeeping advice and training, develops standards on recordkeeping and supports agencies’ development of formal recordkeeping programmes. Much of this work is in the area of public records, and the Department advises other government agencies on how to securely store records to give them physical protection, and guard them against unauthorised access. Its activities focus on raising awareness and understanding of digital continuity across the public sector to help ensure information is well managed from its creation, and building infrastructure for the long-term management of the government’s digital records.
2011–14 Key initiatives
The Department’s key initiatives over the next three years are:
Support the development of capability across the CDEM sector
The Department will support CDEM groups to implement the findings of the capability assessments carried out during 2010–11.
Set and deliver quality in engaging with the community and voluntary sector
The Department will develop induction material on community-government collaboration for public servants, based on the Ready Reference Engagement Guide.
The Department will develop a Public Sector Guide on Employee Volunteering. The Guide will include a video and serve as a useful tool that government agencies can use to encourage employee volunteering.
Collaborate and partner for greater efficiency
In collaboration with local authorities, implementing phase 1 of a shared service for public libraries to provide library management and discovery systems by June 2012.
In partnership with contributing agencies across government, library, research, education and local government sectors, the Department will continue to build Digital New Zealand’s service offering in 2011 with a focus on digital assets that are licensed or freely available for re-use.
Develop regulatory compliance qualifications
The compliance qualifications will be progressively developed and rolled out over the next two to three years.
The Guide for Compliance Agencies in New Zealand will be completed and launched in 2011.
To support the system of government
to operate efficiently and effectively
Internal Affairs supports the system of government, both local and central government, to operate efficiently and effectively through its work to:
optimise the services and systems that support effective Executive Government
improve the value of investment by public sector organisations in information and communications technology
enhance the value of information available to support government decision-making.
Optimise services and systems that support Executive Government
The Department ensures that the necessary systems and services are in place to support the efficient operation of Executive Government. This entails the servicing of ministerial offices and includes practical matters such as transportation, financial management, administrative and IT support, accommodation, and events management. The Department takes a lead role in ceremonies of national significance, such as Anzac Day celebrations, and visits by foreign dignitaries. It provides the administrative support for commissions of inquiry and advisory boards, such as the Local Government Commission and Film and Literature Board of Review.
Improve the value of government ICT investment
Whole-of-government strategic leadership and ICT strategic leadership are closely connected, as ICT is a critical enabler through which the government will seek to deliver sustained productivity gains in a tight fiscal environment. The Department has a crucial leadership role in ICT as the home of the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) and chief advisor on the Government’s use of ICT to drive performance improvements across the system. The Department will maintain close working relationships at multiple levels with other central agencies, Ministry of Economic Development and related governance groups to ensure that objectives and work programmes are clearly communicated and aligned wherever necessary.
The Department oversees the implementation of the Directions and Priorities for Government ICT and provides advice on the strategic direction of government ICT use to Ministers, chief executives, senior stakeholders, central agencies and common ICT capability lead agencies. The Directions and Priorities for Government ICT have a strong focus on open and transparent government, integrated service delivery and driving common approaches to common needs.
As part of the Directions and Priorities for Government ICT, the Department will, in conjunction with agencies, lead a programme to create a Government Common ICT Capability Roadmap as a basis for agency ICT planning and implementation. The new common ICT capability service, ‘Infrastructure as a Service’, is one of the first initiatives being delivered from the Roadmap. This initiative will provide agencies with access to shared storage, computing and data centre facilities on a self-service, pay-as-you-use basis.
The Department also engages in all-of-government ICT procurement in order to reduce duplicate investment, and promotes the re-use of existing technology. The Department will model and promote shared services across all of government to support the transformation of public service delivery.
It is also undertaking work to support the security of this infrastructure. The Department is involved in a joint initiative with the Ministry of Economic Development and the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) aimed at protecting New Zealand government’s information and assets from cyber attacks. This initiative involves developing a cyber security strategy, plan and operations centre. Subject to Cabinet approval, the Department, along with the GCSB, will focus over the next three years on creating and implementing the cybersecurity plan to enable agencies to implement and comply with GCSB standards.
Enhance the value of information and data available to support government decision-making
The Department undertakes research and engages in discussion with other government and non-government agencies and groups to support the government’s decision-making. Its data-gathering and analysis provide a solid foundation for the development of sound and effective policy in a range of areas.
The Department provides advice on a number of matters, including racing, fire safety, dogs, and emergency management. For example, it provides advice on fire services and monitors the performance of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission. The Commission provides fire safety public education programmes, emergency response and coordination of the rural fire sector. In doing so, Internal Affairs supports the government and the Commission to:
reduce the consequences of unwanted fires for people, property, communities and the environment
reduce the adverse consequences of non-fire emergencies for people, property, communities and the environment
give New Zealanders access to fire services in which they have a high level of trust and confidence.
The Department also advises on the development and maintenance of the local government legislative framework. It works with local government to improve its efficiency and effectiveness, and to make sure the policies and legislation are allowing territorial authorities to meet the needs of their communities. It also ensures that the public has access to information about local government. Internal Affairs is currently engaged with the Auckland Council on its first spatial plan, and will be working with the Council during the plan’s development and implementation. The Department is carrying out a first principles review of the local government system outside of Auckland to see whether reform is needed.
2011–14 Key initiatives
The Department’s key initiatives over the next three years are:
Ensure the success of the guest-of-government and State functions programme related to Rugby World Cup 2011
The Department has provided staff to this task force, which will deliver a programme of visits and State functions during Rugby World Cup 2011.
Improve information and communications technology for members of the Executive
The Department will investigate the feasibility of operating a single network for both the Parliamentary Service and members of the Executive to improve the efficiency of transition whenever the membership of the Executive changes. A particular emphasis for 2011–12 will be to ensure the continued effective operation of the Executive following the 2011 General Election.
Support Auckland governance reforms – Auckland spatial plan
The Auckland Council is developing a first spatial plan that will illustrate future development of the city region, including the sequencing of growth and infrastructure provision. The Government will support the early success of the governance reforms through a constructive and ongoing dialogue with the Auckland Council on how both parties can achieve their objectives for Auckland. The spatial plan provides the vehicle for this. The Department, along with the Ministry for the Environment, has been tasked with coordinating central government’s engagement with the Auckland Council on the spatial plan.
Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the fire sector
This priority is intended to deliver a more efficient fire service and more effective emergency fire responses and planning through addressing a number of problems faced by New Zealand’s fire services. These include issues relating to the fragmentation of rural fire services, fire service levy inequities, and legal protection and mandate for volunteer rural fire forces attending non-fire incidents.
Conduct a first principles review of the local government system (outside of Auckland)
Implement the Directions and Priorities for Government ICT
The Department will progress work to implement the Common ICT Capability Roadmap. In particular, throughout 2011/12, the Department will work with other agencies to identify and advance initiatives that support the public sector to deliver a higher-quality experience for New Zealand people and to reduce costs through economies of scale and reuse.
Support Royal Commissions – although Royal Commissions are independent bodies, theDepartment will:
Support the Royal Commision on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy as it undertakes work to consider and report on the causes of the explosion and loss of lives from the 2010 Pike River Mine Tragedy by March 2012.
Support the Royal Commission on the Canterbury Earthquake as it undertakes work over the next twelve months to examine and report on issues relating to the built environment in the Christchurch central business district.
Review public safety around dogs
Internal Affairs will carry out a first principles review of public safety around dogs.
To support specialist capability-building
in other nations
By virtue of its varied and specialist expertise, the Department not only shares its knowledge with other agencies but with other nations. It particularly does this in supporting other nations to:
increase their capability to keep secure and maintain the integrity of public records and personal information they hold
increase their capability to work with and respond to the needs of diverse communities
increase their capability to carry out regulatory responsibilities.
For example, its work in libraries, emergency management, and identity information, among other areas, sees it participate in a range of international forums to exchange information. As a world leader in digital preservation, its expertise is frequently sought from overseas and, in this capacity, Internal Affairs supports other nations to develop their capability. These forums are of benefit to other nations as well as the Department as they enable it to stay abreast of international developments while also enhancing others’ capability.
The recent earthquakes in New Zealand highlight the importance of international support in times of emergency. This support is a feature of the nation’s reputation and interactions with other countries. The Department will continue to fulfil its purpose of building a respected nation by strengthening New Zealand’s international relationships in its areas of expertise.
2011–14 Key initiatives
Over the next three years, the Department’s key initiatives will include:
monitoring and incorporating international trends and best practices in identity information management through participation in Australasian and international forums, such as the Five Nations Passports Group, Five Nations Citizenship Group, Australasian Biometrics Institute and International Civil Aviation Organization
maintaining relationships in the civil defence and emergency management area to learn from overseas practice and enhance the international assistance that would be provided to New Zealand in the event of an emergency
providing leadership and support to the Pacific Branch of the International Council of Archives, through the Department’s role as Secretary-General. Among other activities, the Department will be preparing guidance on disaster preparedness and response for Pacific archives and archival institutions.
Footnotes
[3] 8 February 2011, Rt Hon John Key, Statement to Parliament.