Corporate Publications Statements of Intent Annual Reports

Resource material › Corporate Publications › Statement of Intent 2013-16Tauāki Whakamaunga Atu

Strategic Direction

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
To enhance trust in government and confidence in the performance of public sector organisations.

Our activities over the next three years towards achieving these outcomes and objectives and delivering on Government priorities are outlined in the Operating Intentions section.

Contributing to Government priorities

The Government’s priorities are:

responsibly managing the Government’s finances
building a more productive and competitive economy
delivering better public services within tight financial constraints
rebuilding Christchurch.

The diversity of our roles and functions means we can contribute to these priorities in a range of ways. The table on page 10 highlights how we will contribute to Government’s goals through the priorities of our Ministers over the medium term.

Better Public Services

The key contribution to the Government’s priorities over the medium term will be our contribution to the Better Public Services programme.

We will play a leadership role across the public sector in shaping the way future government services are provided to New Zealanders, particularly through more effective use of ICT to drive efficiencies and accelerate the uptake of digital services across the system.

ICT is seen as the essence of change and core to the way agencies use their unique knowledge. Its use as a tool to leverage change can support business improvement, and coordinated and effective use of ICT is central to the success of Government’s priorities for more responsive services to New Zealanders. As the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) our Chief Executive has functional leadership of all-of-government ICT. The GCIO is mandated to set the strategic direction, policy and standards for use of and investment in ICT across the public sector.

In conjunction with the Minister of Internal Affairs, we are responsible for Better Public Services Result 10 (New Zealanders can complete their transactions with government easily in a digital environment). We are leading a programme of work across government to design and implement services to improve New Zealanders’ interaction with government in a digital environment. This is a long-term initiative for us. As identified in our Performance Improvement Framework (PIF) report (discussed in greater detail on page 42), this will require significant collaboration across agencies and innovation for us to succeed, including working to lift our capability and the way we manage risk, assurance and audit (this is discussed further under the risk assessment and management section on page 39).

Our leadership of Result 10 carries significant linkages with the delivery of Result 9 (New Zealand businesses have a one-stop online shop for all government advice and support they need to run and grow their business), led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. We will be working closely with the Ministry to ensure our strategy and delivery are aligned. Opportunities to leverage off other services that we already provide, such as online identity verification services (RealMe is discussed in further detail on page 26), will simplify business and government transactions.

We also have an important role in other areas such as implementing the Better Local Government programme, which will contribute to Government’s public service and economic goals by lifting the performance and responsiveness of local authorities. Our leadership of Kia Tūtahi, the relationship accord between government and New Zealand communities, will encourage more effective engagement between government agencies and communities.

A diagram illustrating a range of our key relationships is provided in Appendix III.

Our strategic focus

Over the medium term, the Department has four areas of strategic focus. These are the areas in which we will use our strengths, resources and leadership mandates to collectively achieve our outcomes and deliver on Government expectations.

Transforming the way government agencies deliver their services

We will play a crucial role in transforming the way government services are delivered to people, leading an approach to service design that is user-centric and built to meet the needs of individuals rather than agencies. We are developing an online environment to support better digital engagement with government and will support capability development in digital engagement between communities and government.

Stronger and more resilient communities; and individuals contributing to and benefiting from the success of their communities

Our work with communities will give them better access to resources and information, so people can participate with confidence in society and the economy, particularly online. This focus area has broad coverage, from helping local government to be more efficient, effective and responsive to communities and ratepayers, to strengthening the current civil defence emergency management framework, and from instilling confidence in transacting in a digital environment to supporting communities to achieve their aspirations.

Increased trust in how government manages New Zealand’s civic information

Individuals will be able to access government services securely and in real time; and businesses will be able to verify identity more easily, streamlining services, increasing digital interaction with government and reducing compliance costs for businesses and their customers. The collective identity of the nation will be strengthened by providing better access to government data, by connecting people to information important to their lives and by carefully preserving digital content. Knowledge networks will connect businesses, communities and individuals to enable better use of information research, support knowledge creation and to drive innovation in the economy.

Internal Affairs is a robust, sustainable and fit-for-purpose government agency

We will consolidate a more integrated and coordinated operating model to maximise our resources and skills and will enhance capability and supporting infrastructure so we can deliver on expectations. Recognising that it is the value of our people that makes the difference, government can be confident that we are a secure and sustainable organisation that can deliver essential services efficiently and effectively, and demonstrate leadership across the system. Our policy advice and support to the Executive will be innovative and forward looking, engendering trust and confidence in our ability to deliver on Government’s priorities.

Ministerial Priorities

The following table highlights how we will contribute to Government goals through the priorities of our Ministers. Our activities contributing to these priorities are outlined in the Operating Intentions section.

Portfolio	Ministers’ Priorities	Government Priorities	Activities contributing to Priorities
Internal Affairs	Better Public Services: Result 10: New Zealanders can complete their transactions with government easily in a digital environment Better Public Services through all-of-government ICT projects Making it easier for citizens to prove their identity, particularly in a digital environment Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of fire and related emergency services Improving the regulatory framework for Class 4 gambling	Better public services Productive economy	Pages 14–38
Local Government	Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the local government system through completion of the Better Local Government reform programme	Better public services Productive economy	Pages 18–20, 29–36
Ministerial Services	Entitlements for Members of Parliament and the Executive Managing cost pressures in the Visits and Ceremonials Office (VCO) Earthquake resilience of the Department’s ministerial properties Integrated service delivery with other parliamentary agencies	Better public services Responsibly managing finances	Pages 29–33
Ethnic Affairs	Reaping the benefits of the skills and connections of our ethnic communities Responding to the needs of multi-ethnic and multi-faith communities Maintaining and building New Zealand’s reputation for social harmony	Better public services Productive economy	Pages 18–23, 29–36
Racing	Ensuring the sustainable future of the racing industry	Productive economy	Pages 29–36
Civil Defence	Learning from the Canterbury earthquakes Reviewing and updating the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan Strengthening the statutory framework for recovery from major civil defence events Implementing results of monitoring and evaluation	Rebuilding Christchurch Better public services	Pages 14–15, 18–20, 29–38
Community and Voluntary Sector	Leveraging Charities functions to provide better services to communities Continuing to monitor the community-led development programmes within their communities Promoting the application of the Kia Tūtahi Relationship Accord across government Identifying opportunities to support the expansion of social enterprise Contributing to all-of-government responses to addressing digital literacy, particularly from a community perspective	Better public services Productive economy	Pages 16–23, 29–36

The Department of Internal Affairs

Te Tari Taiwhenua

Building a safe, prosperous and respected nation