the department of internal affairs Statement Of Intent 2010–13

NATURE AND SCOPE OF OUR FUNCTIONS

The Department of Internal Affairs serves and connects people, communities and government to build a safe, prosperous and respected nation.

We are responsible to six Ministers administering six Votes across seven ministerial portfolios. Our portfolios include Internal Affairs, Ministerial Services, Ethnic Affairs, Civil Defence, Racing, Local Government, and the Community and Voluntary Sector.

The Minister of Internal Affairs oversees the Government’s ownership interests in the Department which encompass its strategy, capability, integrity and financial performance.

We:

• provide direct services to people, communities and government, including passports, birth, death, marriage and civil union registration, grants, community development, civic information, civil defence education, and online services for government
• provide policy advice to government. We are key advisors on local government, ethnic affairs, community development, civil defence emergency management, fire, identity, technology, gambling and racing
• regulate people’s activity, encourage compliance and enforce the law where required under laws we administer
• monitor performance of three Crown entities and administer appointments to 42 trusts, committees and boards
• employ 1,500 staff in 21 cities and towns. Most Department staff work from Wellington. Sites outside Wellington are used primarily for the delivery of services to the community, and range in size from substantial facilities in Auckland and Christchurch to smaller offices in places such as Kaitaia and Invercargill. There are also offices in Sydney and London.

The linkages between the outcomes the Department contributes towards and the Government objectives, key policy drivers, and appropriations are provided in the following table. For more information about the Department’s organisational structure and business groups, visit the web-site www.dia.govt.nz.

Government objectives and policy drivers	Outcomes	Intermediate outcomes	Votes	Departmental Output Appropriations
Economic growth Reduce New Zealand’s vulnerability Better public services Better regulation Investment in infrastructure	Strong, sustainable communities/hapū/iwi	People engage with and participate in their communities Communities are empowered and able to help themselves Communities are supported by fair and responsive local government and other organisations	Community and Voluntary Sector	Community and voluntary sector services
			Local Government	Services for local government
			Internal Affairs	Policy and advisory services Contestable services Services for ethnic affairs
			Racing	Policy advice
Economic growth Reduce New Zealand’s vulnerability Better public services Better regulation	Safer communities	Communities are engaged Communities are protected Communities are resilient	Internal Affairs	Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Policy and advisory services Regulatory services
			Emergency Management	Emergency management services
			Racing	Policy advice
Economic growth Better public services	New Zealand’s approach to identity is trusted and well led	Good governance of identity for New Zealand Accessible identity services enable efficient connections between people and the State sector Identity information is secure and protects people from fraud	Internal Affairs	Policy and advisory services Identity services
Economic growth Better public services Better regulation	Improved State sector performance and better service experience	Efficient, effective and coordinated government Trusted and accessible State sector services Efficient and effective State sector service delivery	Internal Affairs	Government technology services Policy and advisory services Regulatory services Services for ethnic affairs
			Ministerial Services	Support services to Members of the Executive VIP transport Visits and official events coordination
			Emergency Management	Emergency management services
			Community and Voluntary Sector	Community and voluntary sector services
			Local Government	Services for local government

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