National Action Plan 2018 - 21 End-of-term Self-assessment November 2021 FINAL

The third National Action Plan focused on three core areas: participation in democracy, public participation to develop policy and services, and transparency and accountability.

NAP3 was characterised by steady progress. There are many aspects of the NAP3 process that Aotearoa New Zealand is proud of, particularly given the challenges over this period. A significant achievement was gaining wider, more active engagement than before across both the public service agencies and civil society in the NAP3 development. Regional workshops and the online tool gathered 449 ideas. A large number of public service agencies participated, prioritising this work over other demands. Eleven agencies led on commitments, including, for the first time, the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

The twelve NAP3 commitments were more varied in their range and scope than in previous plans. The Independent Reviewer commended three commitments as being “noteworthy”. These commitments concerned increasing transparency in, or through, the use of technology. Commitment 4 involved making secondary legislation readily accessible through publication. Commitment 8 involved the government’s use of operational algorithms while Commitment 11 involved a master dataset of government organisations for release as open data.

A process improvement for NAP3 was that all the ideas put forward for NAP3 inclusion were made visibly trackable and were progressed, either through to the commitments, or else referred to the appropriate government agency for consideration. This approach increased the transparency of the commitment development and selection process.

Throughout the term of NAP3, which was extended for a year in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EAP and officials fostered constructive and robust relationships.^[1] EAP members took on a critical friend role, bringing civil society perspectives and context, pushing to do better and improving outcomes. The approach evolved during NAP3, with EAP membership expanding and broadening. This approach is anticipated to expand and evolve further during NAP4.

NAP3 consisted of 12 commitments that originally involved 43 milestones. During the life of the plan, seven milestones were added and two were removed. This took the total number of milestones to 48 across the 12 commitments.  At the end of the NAP3 period, 43 milestones were fully completed or underway. The eight that are underway have a plan in place for completion.^[2]

The five milestones that have been delayed needed to change as a result of agencies learning more about the circumstances they were facing or the steps that would need to be taken to achieve the objectives of the commitment. Work is continuing beyond the end of the NAP3 on commitments that have not yet been completed.^[3] Updates on progress against these commitments will be published in 2022.

Some NAP3 commitments have already demonstrated success in achieving their objectives. Notable examples are:

1. Commitment 3: the School Leavers Toolkit, which has been well received by schools and kura nationwide.^[4] Since its launch in September 2019, 78,000 users have accessed the website, which is receiving an average traffic of 2,000 to 2,500 users every week (with a total of nearly 200,000 page views).
2. Commitment 5: tools and guidance to support the public service to apply the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Public Participation Framework (principles and spectrum) has been recognised by the IAP2 international body, with the Policy Project invited to present at the IAP2 annual symposium on the work done under this commitment. There were 3397 page views for the revised Community Engagement webpages between January and June 2021 and 1991 downloads of the six community engagement guidance resources and the demonstration project report in the same period. The significant increase in web traffic and downloads of all the new community engagement resources developed are also solid indications of uptake of the tools and guidance by public servants.
3. There was unexpected recognition in relation to innovative leadership in carrying out Commitment 8. Stats NZ’s work on government algorithmic transparency, undertaken with its civil society partner Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) resulted in Stats NZ being invited to join the International Leaders Network pilot run by the Open Government Partnership in October 2020.

The work of the EAP, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and agencies under NAP3 provides an excellent foundation for Aotearoa New Zealand to build on in progressing a new action plan for NAP4. We have taken a continuous improvement approach; the work undertaken is an investment in both building the public service’s long-term capability and in supporting open government.

Aotearoa New Zealand's self-assessment report on the delivery of the third National Action Plan (NAP3) meets its requirements as a member of the Open Government Partnership.

^[1] In 2016, Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission formed an Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) to work with government on Aotearoa New Zealand's Open Government Partnership (OGP) processes. The EAP assists with development, implementation and evaluation of the commitments in Aotearoa New Zealand's National Action Plans and any other relevant OGP matters.

^[2] Throughout NAP3, we have applied a ratings framework with three possible ratings – “underway”, “some delays” and “complete.”

^[3] Further information on the implementation of the 12 commitments, including milestones still underway, is included from page 17 of this report and at the OGP reporting page here.

^[4] “Kura” is a te reo Māori word that refers to a full language immersion school. It also has other meanings.

National and local context of the Plan

New Zealand has a solid international reputation for its trusted public service. International rankings and research show that trust and confidence in the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Service continues to be high. Across a range of international indexes, Aotearoa New Zealand ranks as a world leader in trust and confidence in government. Globally, trust in government was declining in many countries even before the coronavirus pandemic, and only 51% of OECD citizens trusted their national government in 2020 compared to 63% of New Zealanders.

While most OECD countries experienced a decline in public trust between 2007 and 2020, Aotearoa New Zealand has not. In Kiwis Count, the Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission survey of public trust and confidence, there has been a long-term gradual upward trend in public trust since 2007.

Aotearoa New Zealand has always ranked in the top five countries in the world for the least public sector corruption since the inception of the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. In the latest Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2020, New Zealand is ranked number one, equal with Denmark, as the country whose public sector is considered to be the least corrupt.

To effectively serve Aotearoa New Zealand’s diverse communities and make a difference to wellbeing, the Public Service must have the trust and confidence of New Zealanders. Trust and confidence can only occur if the public service continues to show that it is trustworthy and acts in the interests of Aotearoa New Zealand and its people.

New Zealanders’ trust in their Public Service continues to trend upwards, with 82% of New Zealanders saying they trust public services based on their personal service experience. This is up from 72% in 2012.

Responsiveness is key to trust and confidence. Reliability is another factor, particularly in testing times of change, including when responding to a national emergency of any kind. Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission’s own recent research into the drivers of public trust found that New Zealanders’ experience of public services being reliable and meeting their needs, along with being treated fairly and having public servants admit responsibility when mistakes are made, are key drivers of trust.

Taking active steps to sustain trust and confidence in government through, for example, moving to a more collaborative approach (giving value to lived experience) to policymaking and service design, is important to more effectively serve Aotearoa New Zealand’s diverse communities and make a difference to wellbeing.

Our approach to NAP3 demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to learning from experience, adapting to change and innovation.

Aotearoa New Zealand NAP3

NAP3 was focused on open government efforts to support participating in democracy; public participation to develop policy and services; and transparency and accountability. These reflect the importance of building and maintaining citizens’ trust in government.

NAP3 contained 12 commitments (listed below with lead agencies):

1. Engagement with Parliament (Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives)
2. Youth Parliament (Ministry of Youth Development)
3. School Leavers’ Toolkit (Ministry of Education)
4. Making Aotearoa New Zealand’s secondary legislation readily accessible (Parliamentary Counsel Office)
5. Public participation in policy development (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet)
6. Service design (Department of Internal Affairs)
7. Official information (Ministry of Justice and Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission)
8. Review of government algorithms (Stats NZ)
9. Increase the visibility of government’s data stewardship (Stats NZ)
10. Monitoring the effectiveness of public body information management practices (Archives NZ)
11. Authoritative dataset of government organisations as open data for greater transparency (Department of Internal Affairs)
12. Open procurement (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment).^[1]

The NAP3's 12 commitments were to be implemented in the period from 2018 – 2020. The emergence of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) in 2019 (discussed below) led, however, to the Government accepting the Open Government Partnership (OGP) invitation to extend NAP3’s term to August 2021. This NAP3 Report accordingly covers the period from 2018 – 2021.

Significant changes occurred in NAP3 period

The impacts of COVID-19

In March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) struck in Aotearoa New Zealand. COVID-19 meant that the public service worked under additional pressure to meet New Zealanders’ needs. Government agencies rapidly pivoted their activities and resources to support the COVID-19 response and the economic recovery. OGP were aware of the impact on countries of the prioritisation of the pandemic response. Aotearoa New Zealand accepted the option offered to countries in the 2020 cohort to extend the NAP3 timeframe to August 2021.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, open government work happens in many ways and organisations, not only as part of the OGP National Action Plans. More information is included in the section Other Initiatives.

New Public Service Act 2020

The NAP3 was implemented against a backdrop of legislative change. The new Public Service Act 2020, (the Act) which governs the public service was passed in 2020. The Act provides a modern legislative framework to enable a more adaptive, agile and collaborative public service. The Act has recognised the importance of open government for the public service in many of its statutory provisions.

The Act affirms the purpose of the public service as one that:

“…supports constitutional and democratic government, enables both the current Government and successive governments to develop and implement their policies, delivers high-quality and efficient public services, supports the Government to pursue the long-term public interest, facilitates active citizenship, and acts in accordance with the law.” – Section 11, Public Service Act 2020.

The Act’s clear purpose, principles and values facilitate active citizenship and pursue the long-term public interest. The Act’s principles explicitly include fostering a culture of open government. The Act’s values align with open government values and comprise:

• Impartiality – treating all people fairly, without personal favour or bias
• Accountability – taking responsibility and answering for its work, actions, and decisions
• Trustworthiness – acting with integrity and being open and transparent
• Respect – treating all people with dignity and compassion and acting with humility
• Responsiveness – understanding and meeting people’s needs and aspirations.

Commitments and OGP Values

The ideas generated in the NAP3 development were categorised under three themes:

Theme 1 – Participation in democracy

Theme 2 – Public participation to develop policy and services

Theme 3 – Transparency and accountability.

All the ideas put forward for NAP3 inclusion were progressed, either becoming commitments, or by being referred to the appropriate government agency, and the process was recorded so it was visibly trackable. This trackability greatly increased the transparency of the commitment development process and showed the progress of ideas, some of which were progressed largely unchanged and became NAP3 commitments.

The ideas that were generated reflected the core Open Government Partnership values of transparency, accountability, public participation and technology and innovation. Our ‘Plan on a Page’ on page 8 shows how the commitments were linked.

Theme 1: Participation in democracy

About 50 ideas were received relating to what New Zealanders should know about how our democracy and system of government works to empower participation.

Easy access to information about legislation and how Parliament and government works is important to inform all New Zealanders about what the government is doing and why.

Youth can play an important role in counteracting the global trend of declining political engagement in the general population.

The first three NAP3 commitments developed under the theme of “Participation in democracy” were squarely focussed on young people and enabling their public participation in democracy. These NAP3 commitments comprised “Engagement with Parliament” (Commitment 1), Youth Parliament (Commitment 2) and a School Leavers’ Toolkit (Commitment 3).

“Making legislation more accessible” (Commitment 4) addressed public participation in democracy for the broader population.

Theme 2: Public participation to develop policy and services

Around 100 ideas were received on matters relating to public participation in the design of policy and services. Public participation in policy improves the design of policy and services, increasing their fitness for purpose and legitimacy.

Commitment 5 of the NAP3 tasked the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the “Policy Project”, as the division responsible) to assist the Aotearoa New Zealand public sector to develop a more consistent, deeper understanding of what good engagement with the public meant – right across the International Association of Public Participation’s (IAP2’s) Spectrum of Public Participation – through providing guidance, tools and resources. This work built on the Policy Project’s previous work on community engagement.

Alongside Commitment 5, community organisations have seen a more collaborative approach to policy starting to become more commonplace, partly as a result of organic change, and partly due to innovations prompted by the constraints of COVID-19, as discussed in a lessons learned report by Inspiring Communities here.

The Office for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti (Te Arawhiti) was established in December 2018 to foster strong, ongoing, effective relationships with Māori across government. The Policy Project has noted that Commitment 5 supports and complements the work that Te Arawhiti has been doing during the NAP3 period, in developing and publishing important engagement tools for the Crown’s engagement with Māori here.

Commitment 6 (service design) focussed on the development of an assessment model to help implement the digital design standard. The standard supports agencies to work with New Zealanders to design inclusive, integrated and trustworthy services. Consultation found that the new standard would be unimplementable in its current form, so the commitment was adapted to take this into account.

Theme 3: Transparency and accountability

Over 200 ideas were received for NAP3 that expressed, in various ways, the need to increase government transparency and accountability. This included easy access to government information, resources and services, through a choice of different channels; and increasing the availability and quality of official information.

Many of the 12 commitments related to this theme – for example, increasing the visibility of data stewardship; reviewing the government use of algorithms; making secondary legislation more accessible; and creating greater transparency in new technological areas.

NAP3 Commitment 7 relating to official information included making more Cabinet material available to the public than ever before as a result of new policies on proactive release; and looking into a review of the official information legislation.

Commitment 8 involved the government’s use of operational algorithms. Algorithms are increasingly being used in government decision-making. While algorithm use presents considerable, positive opportunities, it is essential that the public can have assurance that algorithms are being used appropriately.^[2] This commitment seeks to increase transparency and accountability in government’s use of algorithms and involved a review of algorithm use across government agencies, by the Chief Data Steward in collaboration with the Chief Digital Officer.

Commitments 9 and 10 looked at government data stewardship and information management practices.

Open government data is a fundamental enabler of an open and transparent government. Two NAP3 open data Commitments (11 and 12) involved developing Aotearoa New Zealand’s environment to enable open data and accelerate the release and reuse of open government data, so that Aotearoa New Zealand can maximise the value of open government data.

When the work on Commitment 11 is completed, it will provide an authoritative, machine-readable open dataset of government organisations, for both government agencies and the public to use as the foundation upon which to build digital tools and services.

Providing as open data the information published (in the form of individual notices) on who has been awarded a particular contract that was tendered on the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS), Commitment 12 will increase the usability of this data.

Transparency through technology

The Independent Reviewer identified three NAP3 commitments (Commitments 4, 8 and 11) as “noteworthy.” All three of these commitments were concerned with increasing transparency in, or by, the use of technology. One of these (Commitment 4) involved making New Zealand’s secondary legislation readily accessible through publication on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Legislation website.

^[1] Contact details for each of these agencies can be found here.

^[2] Algorithm Charter for Aotearoa New Zealand

A. Participation and co-creation throughout the OGP cycle

Aotearoa New Zealand’s approach to the Multi-Stakeholder Forum

Aotearoa New Zealand has an OGP Officials’ Group (officials) comprising Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission’s open government staff and the agency officials working on open government commitments. Officials and an Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) meet quarterly. For the NAP3, the EAP met both separately and with OGP officials to develop, implement, monitor and report on the NAP3.

The EAP was initially conceived as a panel of open government experts, able to work with officials and bring their expertise to bear, in Aotearoa New Zealand's early days of developing and implementing National Action Plans. Between 2017 and 2019, the recruitment criteria for EAP members were expanded to include community connections. The EAP selection process evolved further when, in March 2019, Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission publicly invited applications for nominations to the EAP from a broad range of applicants. Four new members, bringing their diverse background and special skills, were appointed by Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission on the recommendation of a three-person panel comprising one EAP member, one OGP officials group member and a Deputy Commissioner from Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission.

The EAP has continued to evolve and mature over the NAP3 period, reflecting changing needs over different stages of maturity and officials’ and EAP’s greater collective knowledge and experience. The qualifying criteria for EAP selection and the EAP nomination processes have broadened, with a particular interest in increasing diversity.

The EAP provides an independent view to officials. For example, the EAP recorded its own thoughts and views in the preamble of the NAP3 and their observations are included in this self-assessment (see page 15). The EAP supports officials to facilitate a conversation between government and civil society, tests officials’ ambition and process and, importantly, acts as a source of insights and advice to make the products better.

The engagement between officials and EAP has been robust and authentic. Tensions are inevitable in working with others where there are strongly held views and multiple objectives to meet. During the term of NAP3, EAP and officials worked on clarifying their roles by building greater understanding and positive and constructive working relationships.

To support our working together well, we developed our own Kawa (how we work together) – a values-based approach to working together in which it was agreed that the kōrero (discussions) would be guided by:

• Whakawhānaungatanga – valuing knowing each other and our diverse experiences and strengthening and building positive relationships
• Whakamanatanga – understanding one another, protecting each other’s mana and respecting one another’s perspectives, encouraging robust open discussion
• Mahi Kotahitanga – sharing knowledge and expertise, seeing growth as a strength, being comfortable to change direction as we learn, and providing a safe place for challenge and ambition and exploring the possibilities
• Māramatanga – navigating with purpose and priority, informed by context and constraints.

B. Participation and co-creation when developing the National Action Plan

There was more active engagement across agencies and civil society in the processes for developing NAP3 than with previous NAPs. Civil society was involved at various stages of the process in developing the Plan. Over 200 New Zealanders submitted 449 ideas, gathered in the regional workshops and provided through the online tool on how to make government more open, accountable, and responsive.

There was good engagement in the development of the action plan. Officials and EAP collectively reviewed all the ideas that were submitted as part of the public engagement. The NAP3 development process enabled ideas generated by individuals to be tracked all the way through to the Commitments in the final NAP3 plan. The public engagement undertaken on Aotearoa New Zealand’s third National Action Plan is summarised here.

Synthesis workshop participants (which involved agencies, a subset of participants from the public workshops, EAP and officials) synthesised the ideas. The ideas were categorised under three themes – participation in democracy; public participation to develop policy and services; and transparency and accountability. The ideas were then refined into commitments, comprising actions for agencies to deliver and publicly report on (see Plan on a Page on Introduction and background section). While it needed refinement and stretch at subsequent sessions with EAP and officials to make it better, the basic structure and content of the Plan was formed at the workshop.

While people responding to the draft National Action Plan recognised that there was more to do, they were excited about the energy and momentum visible in the creation of this plan. This was expressed in the comments submitted on the New Zealand OGP website.

Input from EAP members in OGP meetings has been particularly important to officials during the development of NAP3 to test the thinking and processes, when updating reports, and during NAP3 implementation. The discussion has been both challenging and positive.

The process for developing the Plan involved a large number of agencies (more than the number tasked with commitments), with agencies prioritising this work over other demands. Officials (including for the first time, officials in the Legislative Branch) were willing to be part of developing commitments.

Some opportunities for process improvement were identified. For example, the Independent Reviewer’s Design Report brought to our attention that civil society stakeholders outside of EAP had had no further opportunity to determine the final contents of the plan after the synthesis workshop was held. The approach to NAP4 is taking this feedback into account.

Expert Advisory Panel Role

The EAP provides an independent view to Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission and other government agencies. It supports Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission to facilitate a conversation between government and civil society, tests officials’ ambition and process and, importantly, acts as a source of independent advice and lived experience to make the products better. The EAP and officials worked together throughout the development of the plan and met jointly for regular sessions involving review and challenge of progress against the NAP3.

Developments for NAP4

Organisations outside EAP have actively sought involvement in the Action Plan process. In 2021, a group of 10 civil society organisations wrote to the Minister for the Public Service to give their thoughts on OGP matters. The group has since become involved in the OGP process, including helping to refine the ideas developed for NAP4. This development signals an opportunity to further evolve Aotearoa New Zealand’s model.

We assess ourselves as complying with the relevant standards and will continue our commitment to continuous improvement.^[1]

^[1] Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM): New Zealand Design Report 2018–2020

C. Participation and co-creation when implementing, monitoring and reporting on a National Action Plan

EAP’s influence on engagement

There were quarterly meetings with EAP to discuss progress reports with officials. The reports were then published for feedback and notified to OGP list subscribers.

At times, the EAP challenged officials to engage more broadly with civil society and diverse groups when implementing NAP3 commitments. For example, public engagement for Commitment 5: Public participation in policy development was initially seen as largely confined to public service policy practitioners and managers. As a result of EAP's challenge, engagement on this commitment was broadened to include the general public and civil society. In the End-of-Term Report the Policy Project within Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) stated that:

“As we workshopped with policy practitioners and discussed the proposal for guidance with community representatives and engagement specialists, they provided feedback that there were many factors to address to lift public service community engagement performance. We realised that we needed to set the decision tool within a broader context. That is, to recognise that selecting the level of influence on the IAP2 Spectrum of Participation in the early stages of a policy project was one of many things that was needed to underpin improved community engagement practice. Selecting engagement methods that match that design and implementing those effectively by applying a principled approach were also important component parts.”

Opportunities to share

In addition to the regular quarterly discussions where there was formal and informal time for people to share what they were working on with other agencies and with EAP, we also held a specific session for reflections. At this session, officials met with the EAP to focus on their experiences working with stakeholders in implementing commitments and sharing what they learned. This session was valuable, and we will look to build on what was learned in the future.

We learnt that value can be obtained by identifying and leveraging the linkages between commitments. Products developed for one commitment were shared, to support work done under other commitments.

For example, three of the NAP3 commitments under Theme One: Participation in democracy have been mutually supportive. These are Commitment 1: Engagement with Parliament, Commitment 2: Youth Parliament and Commitment 3: School Leavers Toolkit.

Commitments 2 and 3 focused on Youth participation. In addition, the work undertaken by the Office of the Clerk to deliver Commitment 1 was linked to Commitments 2 and 3.

Making changes during commitment implementation

Agencies didn’t always know the full context or have all the relevant information when they started implementing commitments. In undertaking NAP3, we learnt that we need to be sufficiently flexible in implementing commitments to accommodate any changes in context or new information.  

Some milestones needed to change as a result of agencies learning more about the circumstances they were facing or the steps that would need to be taken to achieve the objectives of the commitment.  Agencies have at times had to re-plan and re-phase their work. In each case the objective will still be achieved but will take longer than was originally anticipated. Work will continue after the expiry of the plan; updates on progress against these commitments will be published in 2022.

We learnt that, in carrying out future action plans, we will also need to continue to:

• regularly review performance and be prepared to amend milestones during implementation, even if it means work will continue beyond the end of the Plan
• focus on the objectives to be achieved, as opposed to a rigid focus on “ticking off” milestone steps.

We assess ourselves as complying with the relevant standards and will continue our commitment to continuous improvement.

D. Expert Advisory Panel observations

By international standards, New Zealand is a strong performer across many aspects of open government. However international experiences have highlighted how important it is to continue to work hard to retain public trust and confidence.

Our role is to work with Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission and other government agencies, throughout the development and implementation of New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership National Action Plans. This includes providing constructive advice and communicating openly with, and involving, civil society and government officials.

A key part of our approach has been the quarterly sessions we have held with officials to review progress against the commitments. It has been pleasing to see officials respond positively to the challenges we posed for them and to see them responding to the lessons they have learnt along the way. Officials have been open with us in identifying when things weren’t going to plan and discussing the changes they were having to make in response.

One of the focus areas we’ve brought into the conversation with agencies is discussion of how they are including diverse voices and how they are keeping communities informed about their work. This is an important part of the work and one we are keen to see develop further over the next plan.

The development and implementation of the third National Action Plan has been both rewarding and challenging. We recognise that we are only at the beginning of our journey – but our foundations are strong. 

As we develop the fourth national action plan, we will encourage the government to maintain its commitment to co-developing ambitious goals with iwi and civil society. This will support the Crown in its relationships with Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi  and the need to continually improve and grow the connection between the public service and communities to realise Aotearoa’s democratic, environmental and social values.

Each new National Action Plan provides us with the opportunity to get closer to making that model a reality. 

We’d like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of officials and civil society involved in delivering NAP3 commitments. There will no doubt be challenges ahead; but we look forward to continuing to work in the spirit of partnership for NAP4.

Expert Advisory Panel

30 November 2021

IRM Design Reports identify and encourage opportunities for countries to improve the process of, and content of, their Plans. The Design Report for NAP3 (2018 – 20) was published in February 2020. The Design Report outlined five recommendations and some suggestions for the content of potential future commitments.

The five recommendations from IRM Design Report Plan were:

1. Reform official information laws
   • NAP3 commitment 7 was delivered focusing on official information. With regards to the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA):
     • In 2019, the Ministry of Justice undertook targeted engagement by inviting submissions on the OIA from individuals and organisations. The Ministry’s advice and a summary of the consultation were provided to the Minister of Justice.
     • In March 2021, the advice and consultation summary document were published on the Ministry of Justice website (see Proactive release – Briefing and Public Consultation page).
     • The Minister of Justice will consider the potential for a review of the OIA later in this parliamentary term.

2. Strengthen the role and mandate of the EAP as it continues to act as New Zealand’s Multi-stakeholder Forum
   • We acted on this to expand EAP (see section A page 11). In addition to working with EAP on NAP4, we are also working with a number of representatives from civil society organisations. Our approach has evolved over NAP3 and will continue to evolve.
3. Create a joint civil society/government public engagement Community of Practice or Hub
   • This idea has been submitted for consideration in developing NAP4 commitments.
4. Apply civics education learning at community and local government level
   • This idea has been submitted for consideration in developing NAP4 commitments.
5. Strengthen high-quality public media reporting by continuing the Local Democracy Reporter pilot to ensure transparency and public accountability of local government
   • The Local Democracy Reporter pilot was established in 2019. In 2020, NZ On Air confirmed continued support for the Local Democracy Reporting scheme for the 2021 year. NZ On Air continues to fund five regional media projects, covering nine regions.

We are grateful to the Independent Reviewer for sharing the findings and points of view. We have incorporated the suggestions about commitments into the ideas-generation process for NAP4. As part of our reflections on NAP3 and the development process for NAP4, we recently facilitated a meeting to provide an opportunity for the Independent Reviewer to discuss the Design Report including the recommendations with the stakeholders involved in the design of NAP3. The meeting proved interesting and valuable.

[1] Further details of the plan for completing milestone 2 are included on the OGP reporting page here.

[1] Further details of the plan for completing commitment 4 are included on the OGP reporting page here. Implementation is ongoing.

[1] Further details of the plan for completing milestone 2 are included on the OGP reporting page here.

[1] Further details of the plan for completing milestones 2 and 4 are included on the OGP reporting page here.

Further details of the plan for completing Commitment 11 are included on the OGP reporting page here.

Stats NZ and Transparency International involvement in Leaders Forum

Innovative leadership and significant progress on work on government algorithmic transparency led to Stats NZ and civil society partner Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) being invited to join the Leaders Network pilot run by the Open Government Partnership in October 2020.

Work on algorithmic transparency fulfils part of the New Zealand Government’s commitment to the Open Government Partnership NAP3. In support of this commitment, the Algorithm Assessment Report was delivered in 2018. Following that, the Algorithm Charter for Aotearoa New Zealand was launched in July 2020.

Stats NZ is committed to fulfilling its obligations as a member of the Leadership Network. To date Stats NZ have engaged with other governments and organisations to share learnings. This includes presenting alongside TINZ at RightsCon 2021 where there was a high level of interest from governments and civil society organisations in the Charter. Stats NZ and TINZ are also looking at how they can work together to bring the government’s work on algorithmic transparency to a broader audience, and develop our understanding of civil society’s views on government algorithmic transparency and how the Charter contributes to this.

The Leaders Network is designed to give voice and momentum to open government reformers and pioneers, and inspire governments and civil society organisations across the Partnership to advance thematic areas. Leaders consist of teams (e.g. ministries, secretariats and departments) in governments working in collaboration with civil society, which together have a track record of delivery on a specific and ambitious reform agenda.

International OGP Commitments

New Zealand has supported, and been supported by, the international OGP community through informal peer conversations, for example Scotland has provided some really useful assistance with the OGP tool.

Highlights

Aotearoa New Zealand’s approach works because EAP and officials have fostered constructive and robust relationships. The EAP and officials worked together throughout the development of the plan and met jointly and regularly, for sessions involving review and challenge of progress against the NAP3. EAP does not replace conversations with a wider group of New Zealanders as part of the plan development. It does, however, sit alongside these conversations, providing an ongoing voice of civil society where ideas can be tested and extended.

While the commitments have only recently been implemented, in addition to good uptake there has been positive feedback on the nature and quality of the commitments and the processes that were followed. In particular, innovative leadership and significant progress on work on government algorithmic transparency resulted in Stats NZ and its civil society partner, Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ), being invited to join the Leaders Network pilot run by the Open Government Partnership in October 2020.

Lessons learned

Agencies didn’t always know the full context or have all the relevant information available to them when they started to implement commitments. We learned, through consultation in the early stages, that three of the commitments could not progress as planned (Commitments 6, 9 and 11). The implementation of each of these commitments needed to change as a result of agencies learning more about the circumstances they were facing or the steps that would need to be taken to achieve the objectives of the commitment.

Agencies have had to re-plan and re-phase their work. In each case the objective will still be achieved but it will take longer than originally anticipated. Work will continue after the expiry of NAP3. Adapting to changing circumstances rather than giving up on commitments will continue to be a feature of our approach.

As part of the self-assessment process, we have given thought to, and received feedback on, improvements that could help with NAP4. Understanding the OGP context plays an important role in supporting the development and implementation of National Action Plans. While some induction did take place at the start of NAP3, if changes of commitment lead occur mid-plan in future, we are committed to ensuring the EAP, CSOs and agencies provide information and support to ensure commitment leads have a good understanding of the OGP context.

We have identified some opportunities to streamline our processes in order to deliver shorter turnaround time on publication of OGP materials.

We have decided that, for all milestones where work is ongoing, an additional report back will be provided in 2022.

Other initiatives

Open government objectives have been advanced across the public service work programme, for example the enactment of the new public service legislation, discussed in earlier sections.

Alongside the delivery of the NAP3 commitments, Aotearoa New Zealand has made significant progress in improving openness and transparency.

We have:

• legislated to require that the Public Service fosters a culture of Open Government
• made more Cabinet material available to the public through the proactive release policy
• made improvements in agency practices around proactive release of information and the handling of requests for official information under the Official Information Act
• routinely published ministerial diaries online
• increasingly published lists of advice and papers received by Ministers on departmental and agency websites
• improved parliamentary practices to enhance ministerial accountability, including through the new Q&A process during committee stages and following ministerial statements in the House
• piloted the routine proactive release of all official briefings from departments and agencies in some ministerial offices
• the Department of Internal Affairs has recently published the Government Digital Standards Catalogue in a machine-readable format and accessible via the Data API; and the Policy Project will continue to share the new community engagement resources and case studies and will encourage agencies to apply the guidance as an ongoing part of its work. DPMC will continue to develop materials that will support the application of the guidance including a checklist for good practice community engagement.
• The Policy Project will support Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission on a case-by-case basis with any broader approaches to community engagement, as part of the active citizenry work programme.

Next steps

Work is already underway on NAP4, and we look forward to finalising the plan in 2022. Work is continuing beyond the end of the NAP3 on commitments that have not yet been completed; updates on progress against these commitments will be published in 2022.

Acknowledgements

We want to acknowledge all the people who have given their time and expertise to this mahi. Many people across Aotearoa New Zealand have contributed their ideas, supported the development of the plan and been part of its implementation.

We thank the members of the Expert Advisory Panel for their expertise and commitment to making sure this plan makes a difference.

We thank the members of civil society organisations and the New Zealand public who shared their views and ideas, both in the early stages of creating the plan and later during its implementation.

We thank officials from across the Public Service who made this work happen.

We are grateful for advice we have received from the OGP independent reviewer, Keitha Booth, and the support and advice we have received from the OGP Secretariat over the course of NAP3.

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive