The Department of Internal Affairs

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua

Building a safe, prosperous and respected nation



 

Our organisation

The Department has five branches:

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

Digital Services

The Digital Services branch is responsible for strategy and enabling functions that lead and contribute to digital maturity for digital customer-centred services, across both the public sector and Te Tari Taiwhenua.

Being digitally mature means being focused not only on technology, but also governance, capability, and other attributes to deliver outcomes and better value for customers. The branch supports and enables agencies and Te Tari through providing strategy, advice, and delivery to progress modern and adaptive public services.

The branch supports the role of the Government Chief Digital Officer (Public Service Digital Lead), framed in the Strategy for a Digital Public Service.

See also: the Digital Government website.

The Digital Services Branch is made up of seven groups:

Agency Partnerships and Capability

The Agency Partnerships and Capability group brings together the functions that provide advice to support and enable agencies to plan and execute better digital public services for New Zealanders.

The Group helps drive sound digital investment decisions for the public sector and embeds integrated standards and assurance practices.

All-of-Government Services Delivery

The All-of-Government Services Delivery Group brings together the functions that deliver a range of services to or for the public sector, including the All-of-Government Portfolio of digital products and ICT services.

The Group supports the standardisation and consolidation of agency ICT infrastructure and services, and works with the supplier market to deliver modern digital procurement models for digital and ICT.

See also:  New Zealand Gazette and Domain Name Service.

Strategy

The Strategy Group brings together strategic system leadership functions to deliver the government’s priorities, with a focus on modernising digital services, emerging technologies, and optimising the public sector.

The Group engages across the public and technology sectors to build and maintain a view of future horizons, and identify opportunities for the public sector to continue to optimise digital capability and delivery.

Māori Digital and Crown Relationships

The Māori Digital and Crown Relationships Group delivers the functions that ensure Iwi-Māori digital aspirations are embedded across Te Tari Taiwhenua, and the public sector.

The Group connects and supports delivery through providing authoritative advice, undertaking partnering and engagement, and leading key initiatives.

Trust Framework

The Trust Framework Group brings together the functions that ensure safe, accredited digital identity services, by carrying out regulation, accreditation, and market development.

More information: Trust Framework for Digital Identity.

Digital Services and Solutions

The Digital Services and Solutions Group brings together the information technology functions that enable Te Tari Taiwhenua to deliver services to our customers.

The Group works across the Department to provide internal technology leadership and guidance, enable the design and build of new technology services, deliver core technology services, and provide support for technology services.

Branch Performance

The Branch Performance Group brings together the functions that connect delivery of the Digital Services branch work programme to the enterprise-level focus for Te Tari Taiwhenua, ensuring branch strategy supports outcomes delivery. 

The Group works across the branch and the Department to lead branch-wide work planning and governance processes, corporate accountability planning and reporting, servicing of ministerial and government stakeholder needs, and the branch’s international engagement.

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Partnerships and Commissions

The Partnerships and Commissions branch is responsible for a diverse portfolio of national institutions, commissions, Executive and community-based services.

The branch oversees and supports the National Library and Archives New Zealand, including the delivery of a resilient and fit-fpr-purpose archival facility in Wellington, through the Te Ara Tahi programme.

Hāpai Hapori – Community Operations leads the Department’s direct interface with New Zealand communities by providing information, resources and advice to communities and the administration of grant funding.

The branch is home to Ministerial Services who are responsible for providing a range of services to the Prime Minister and the Executive, including personnel, accommodation, transport, the hosting of international guests and the delivery of national events.

Additionally, the branch oversees various commissions including time-limited (Survivor Experiences Service, royal commissions and ministerial inquiries) and those established through legislation (Local Government Commission, Gambling Commission).

National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

The National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa enriches the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations by:

  • collecting, preserving, and protecting New Zealand's documentary heritage and making it accessible
  • supplementing and furthering the work of other libraries in New Zealand
  • working collaboratively with other institutions having similar purposes, including those forming part of the international library community.

The National Library administers the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa Act 2003 through the statutory roles of the National Librarian and the Chief Librarian of the Alexander Turnbull Library.

For more information, visit: National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.

Archives New Zealand, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Archives New Zealand serves as the official guardian of New Zealand's public archives and works to enhance their accessibility and promote good information management by regulating government recordkeeping.

Archives New Zealand administers the Public Records Act 2005, which establishes the regulatory framework for information and records management across the public sector in New Zealand.

The Chief Archivist exercises a leadership role in facilitating and co-ordinating archival activities in New Zealand and has statutory independence in some aspects of government recordkeeping regulation.

For more information, visit: Archives New Zealand, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Te Ara Tahi

Te Ara Tahi is a shared programme of transformation for the National Library of New Zealand, Archives New Zealand and Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

It includes Tāhuhu Preserving the Nation's Memory - delivering a fit-for-purpose, resilient archival facility in Wellington to enable the preservation of collections and joined-up, collaborative services for users.

Ministerial Services

Ministerial Services are responsible for providing a range of services to the Executive arm of the New Zealand Government, including:

  • administrative support to the Prime Minister and Ministers of the Crown
  • managing Ministerial entitlements in accordance with relevant legislation (See: Minister's expense releases)
  • managing Crown-owned Ministerial residences including Premier House (the official residence of the Prime Minister)
  • providing VIP Transport services to Ministers and others including the Leader of the Opposition, senior Judiciary, and dignitaries; and managing the Crown fleet, including Ministerial self-drive vehicles
  • organising and co-ordinating guest of government visits, state and ministerial functions, and national commemorative events such as ANZAC Day (See: Visits and Ceremonial Events)

Commissions

The Commissions group oversea and support Inquiries, Royal Commissions and a number of independent statutory entities.

Inquiries

Inquiries are able to inquire into any matter of public importance or concern to the Government of the day. The Department of Internal Affairs provides assistance to public and Government inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2013. Our responsibilities include:

  • providing advice to the Government to help them to decide if an inquiry is necessary
  • supporting Ministers to develop the terms of reference and budgets for inquiries
  • identifying and recommending Inquiry members for Ministers’ consideration
  • setting up the Inquiry and providing administrative support
  • providing advice on approach and report creation
  • assisting with closing the inquiry and dealing with legacy matters

The Gambling Commission

The Gambling Commission is an independent statutory decision-making body established under the Gambling Act 2003. The Gambling Commission hears casino licensing applications and appeals on licensing and enforcement decisions made by the Secretary for Internal Affairs in relation to gaming machines and other non-casino gambling activities. The Gambling Commission has the powers of a Commission of Inquiry and does not report to, or receive direction from, the Department.

The Local Government Commission

The Local Government Commission is an independent statutory body established by legislation. The Commission has specific statutory responsibilities under several statutes. These include the Local Government Act 2002, relating to the provision of information and good practice about local government, as well as the local government reorganisation process, and the Local Electoral Act 2001 relating to local government representation arrangements. The Local Government Commission does not report to, or receive direction from, the Department.

The Film and Literature Board of Review

The Film and Literature Board of Review is an independent body established under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993. The Board reviews the classifications of various publications according to the criteria specified in the Act. Partnerships and Commissions Branch Performance teamm provide all secretariat and administrative functions to the Board. The Board does not report to, or receive direction from, the Department.

Hāpai Hapori - Community Operations 

Community Operations leads the Department’s direct interface with New Zealand communities, primarily by providing information, resources and advice to communities and the administration of grant funding. We are responsible for delivering community advisory and funding administration services throughout New Zealand and supporting communities to be resilient and achieve their aspirations. 

We have 16 service delivery offices located from Kaitaia to Invercargill.

Our services support communities, hapū and iwi, organisations and networks to identify their priorities and to develop strategies for achieving them. For more information see communitymatters.govt.nz

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Policy and Te Tiriti

The Policy and Te Tiriti branch consists of policy, Te Tiriti, ministerial and local government capabilities.

They are responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight across a diverse range of policy areas focused on gambling and racing, media content and online safety, digital identity and community affairs, as well as local government policy and the time-limited Local Water Done Well.

Additionally, the branch has oversight of Ministerial and Monitoring functions and our Māori/Crown relationships and Treaty Settlements. 

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Regulatory and Identity Services

The Regulatory and Identity Services branch is responsible for regulatory systems and functions related to charities, gambling, anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), digital safety, passports, civil registries, citizenship and identity management.

From offices located across NZ and in Sydney and London, the branch also delivers future-focused identity products and services that enable customers to register their life events, access services from other public and private sector agencies and businesses, and travel seamlessly overseas.

The branch has a diverse, distributed workforce, large ongoing programmes of work and functions that include data analysis and insights, information sharing, forecasting, systems, service design, risk and assurance, intelligence and investigations, engagement and education, operational policy, product innovation, international product strategy and commercial.

The branch operates and influences both domestically and internationally, engaging and interacting with most New Zealanders and a large range of agencies and organisations. This includes a strong focus on cultural responsibilities to Māori and Pasifika communities. Business units include:

Mauri o te Tangata - Services and Access

Services & Access has responsibility for identity services which require customer interactions. The group’s work includes registering births (including adoptions, and information for donor-conceived people on the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Register), processing applications for a change of registered name or gender, licensing marriage and civil union celebrants, determining whether people are New Zealand citizens, assessing applications for a grant of citizenship, checking applications for passports and for RealMe Verified identity credentials.

The group also handles customer queries via phone and email about all identity services (including registering marriages, ordering certificates and registration of death) along with enquiries about charities services and community grants. Counter services for identity products are available (by appointment only) at Departmental offices in Auckland (Carlaw Park), Manukau (Osterley Way), Christchurch (Hereford St), Wellington (Waterloo Quay), London (Pall Mall) and Sydney (Bond St).

Te Pou Manawa - Partners and Products

Partners & Products has accountability for the design of life events products and information sharing services including legislative change, product pricing and government services bundling opportunities (such as Smartstart), and the delivery and management of information sharing products and services. They take a focused and consistent approach to product design and the management of partnering relationships and commercial arrangements.  

Te Pahekoheko - Operations

Delivers clear and accurate operational policy, a customer-centric approach to processing/production of identity and life events service (including Apostilles), rostering, investigations, and management/maintenance of information & systems for an end-to-end customer experience. This team also manages official correspondence, OIA and Privacy requests for the branch. The General Manager of this group is also the Registrar-General of Birth, Death and Marriages. 

Pou Ārahi

Contributes to the successful service delivery outcomes for whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori organisations by improving capability, visibility, service improvement & relationships.

Te Ara Manaaki 

Te Ara Manaaki is a business unit and programme set up to support the branch to reimagine how we deliver our services around the wants and needs of our customers. Our vision is to transform the way New Zealanders access our identity and life event services – putting our customers and their whānau at the heart of everything we do, and continuously make it easier for them to access services.

Planning, Design and Assurance

This business unit focuses on the core functions of planning, business case development, programme/project initiation, prioritisation and dependency management, design, analytics, organisational capacity, business assurance, and performance measurement and reporting.

Te Pūtahi Whakawhiti Reo - The Translation Service

We provide professional translation and other language services including quality assessment, typesetting, transcription and cultural advice to businesses, central and local government and private individuals: Translation Service

More information:

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

The Department's strategic intent for Regulatory Services is set out in the document: Regulatory Services Group Strategy 2021–2026 (PDF, 1MB) 

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Enterprise Services

The Enterprise Services branch is responsible for delivering strategic and operational functions that support the organisation at an enterprise level. These include legal, finance, human resources, communications, and strategy, governance and risk.

It oversees core support services and functions for our workplaces, including property management, health and safety, information management and security. The Māori Capability Uplift Programme also sits within the branch.

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Related Information

Read our Pūrongo Ā Tau – Annual Report

Read our Ngā Takune Rautaki – Strategic Intentions

Read our Disclosure of Chief Executive's Expenses

Read our Gender pay gap action plan

Read our DIA Engagement survey results