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

Executive Summary

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.

Introduction and Background

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.

Figure 1: Our ‘Plan on a Page’

This image is a graphical representation of

Our Plan

Across the top is a box that says “New Zealanders provided 449 ideas about how to make government more open, accountable and transparent. We prioritised these ideas into three themes.

  1. Participation in democracy
  2. Public participation to develop policy and services
  3. Transparency and accountability

Then, we turned the themes into commitments with actions the Government will deliver and publicly report on.

Participation in democracy:

  • engagement with Parliament
  • youth Parliament
  • school leavers’ toolkit
  • Making legislation more accessible

Public participation to develop policy and services:

  • Public participation in policy development
  • Inclusive service design

Transparency and accountability:

  • Official information
  • Government’s use of algorithms
  • Government data stewardship practices
  • Public information management
  • Open data about government agencies
  • Open procurement

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

National Action Plan Process

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 recommendations

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.
  1. 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.
  2. Create a joint civil society/government public engagement Community of Practice or Hub
    • This idea has been submitted for consideration in developing NAP4 commitments.
  3. Apply civics education learning at community and local government level
    • This idea has been submitted for consideration in developing NAP4 commitments.
  4. 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.

 

Summary of Implementation of NAP Commitments

Commitment 1: Engagement with Parliament

The problem that the commitment addresses

To improve public understanding of how Parliament works and engage a greater number of people with its work.

How the commitment will contribute to solving the public problem

Parliament aims to reach a larger and more diverse audience across all its digital and broadcasting channels – Parliament website, Parliament TV, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram – by June 2020. It also aims to grow engagement, measured by more actions taken across all channels, by June 2020.

Why this commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Transparency, Public Participation, and Technology and Innovation.

Milestones

Expand the use of Parliament TV to provide information about Parliament. In addition, coverage of the House, to show New Zealanders that Parliament is relevant to them. Content will be reviewed annually and viewer numbers monitored quarterly.

Make Parliament more interactive by holding three public events every year, focused on engaging people with Parliament to raise awareness that Parliament is for everyone. Events to be identified by the Office of the Clerk in line with the Parliament Engagement Strategy 2018–2021

Develop and publish content showing “real people” start petitions and make submissions to select committees and make the options for having your say transparent and easy to understand to show people how to participate in the democratic process.

Develop and enhance a 360-degree Virtual Reality Tour of Parliament to raise children’s, young people’s and all New Zealanders’ awareness of what Parliament does by making it more accessible and interesting to inspire future voters.

Start/end dates

June 2018/June 2021

December 2018/June 2021

June 2018/June 2021

June 2018/June 2021

Completion

Completed

Completed

Completed

Completed

Description of the results

Larger and more diverse audiences are able to access information about Parliament more easily, leading to greater public engagement with Parliament and more people having their say. Launched in January 2020, Parliament on Demand is the home of all our video content. Video content has included: development of animations explaining how Parliament works (the difference between Parliament and Government 1,690 views and Select Committees 2,059 views); creation of two documentaries (Rainbow Voices 7,407 views and Wāhine o te Pāremata Women of Parliament 2,202 views on YouTube); “Spotlight” videos on aspects of Parliament such as Budget Day (2,146 views), Standing Orders (2,033 views), Elections (1,364 views) and Oaths and Affirmations (3,416 views). The NZ Parliament YouTube account currently has around 3,000 subscribers. The Education Perfect Modules have had 604 engagements from 295 unique users, including 72 individual schools and 29 individual users (not from a school).

Additional information/next steps

Parliament aims to reach a larger and more diverse audience, and increase engagement, across all its digital and broadcasting channels, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram

 

Commitment 2: Youth Parliament

The problem that the commitment addresses

To improve understanding among young people of how Parliament works and to highlight topics that matter to young people, the Ministry of Youth Development will work with the Office of the Clerk and the Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives to deliver an enhanced Youth Parliament 2019.

How the commitment contributes to solving the problem

Improving young people’s awareness and understanding of how Parliament works, its accessibility and relevance, using topics that matter to young people through replicating the Parliamentary process and offering that experience in a “Youth Parliament”, gives young people direct exposure to Parliamentary processes, increasing engagement. Making information about Parliamentary processes readily accessible, relevant, reliable and useful to young New Zealanders is important, as doing so increases the transparency of Parliamentary processes; increases engagement with Parliament, increasing Parliament’s legitimacy and positive perceptions.

Why the commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Transparency, Public Participation, and Technology and Innovation.

Milestone

Widely promote the opportunity to submit to the Youth Parliament select committee hearings ahead of the two-day Youth Parliament event to a diverse range of rangatahi (young people).

Hold two-day Youth Parliament event

Explore (with the Ministry of Education) how footage of Youth MPs speaking in the debating chamber of the New Zealand House of Representatives could be utilised as part of a civics or citizenship educational resource for schools.

With the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, maximise opportunities to profile Youth Parliament via social media channels, including promoting:

· the Youth MP and Youth Press Gallery selection period

· the final Select Committee and mock bill topics

Circulate the Youth Parliament select committee reports to the actual Parliament Select Committees and appropriate policy agencies relevant to the topics discussed and publish a link to them on the MYD website as soon as they are available after the Youth Parliament event.

Start/end dates

April 2019 – June 2019

16 – 17 July 2019

October 2018 – June 2020

October 2018 – August 2019

July 2019 – October 2019

Completion

Completed

Completed

Completed

Completed

Completed

Description of the results

For some New Zealanders, the relevance of Parliament increased between 2018 and 2020 (see p.29 of the 2020 research, Survey of the New Zealand Public (January 2021). Most New Zealanders tend to agree that Parliament is relevant to their lives, but relatively few feel connected. For some New Zealanders, the relevance of Parliament has increased. The proportion who said Parliament and the democratic processes are interesting to them has increased since 2019, while the proportion who say it has no impact on their life has declined. In addition, New Zealanders are more likely to say Parliament has dealt with an issue they care about, although, looking ahead, they are less likely to say there are issues they care deeply about that could be affected by laws. In 2021, 21% of people surveyed said they agree that they feel connected with Parliament, up from 16% agreeing with that statement in 2016.

Additional information/next steps

 

This commitment has been completed.

 

Commitment 3: School Leavers’ Toolkit

The problem that the commitment will address

To develop a Schools Leavers’ Toolkit, comprising a suite of tools, resources and curriculum support making it much simpler for schools to:

· Integrate civics, financial literacy and workplace competencies into their local curriculum

· Understand and respond to learners’ levels of civic and financial literacy, and work readiness

· Effectively teach civics, financial literacy and workplace competencies.

How the commitment will contribute to solving the problem

Creating a School Leavers’ Toolkit website brings together key information for students in one place, in a reliable source and in an engaging way. The ‘School Leavers’ Toolkit’ provides school students with opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and capabilities to successfully transition into further education, training and employment, through access to foundational knowledge in civics education, financial literacy and key workplace competencies.

Why this commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Public Participation.

Milestone

Stocktake of existing Toolkit resources.

Ministers consider Ministry of Education analysis of opportunities to support expanded access to Toolkit opportunities.

Exploratory co-design phase concludes and is used to inform detailed implementation support plan.

Pilot implementation reporting and evaluation.

Toolkit training and support programme.

Start/ end dates

June 2018 – Sept 2018

Sept 2018 – Dec 2018

June 2018 – Feb 2019

Feb 2019 – Dec 2022

Feb 2020 – Dec 2020

Completion[1]

Completed

Completed

Completed

Underway

Completed

Description of the results

 

The School Leavers’ Toolkit website, directly targeted at young people, has been well received by schools and kura nationwide. Since its launch in September 2019, 78,000 users had accessed the website with nearly 200,000 page views. The website was receiving an average traffic of 2,000 to 2,500 users every week. The website has garnered the support of, and promotion by, the Aotearoa Social Studies Educators Network. The workshop series showed a substantial shift in participant’s knowledge of resources, from 27% to 82% post workshop. The workshop series had also raised the awareness and confidence of the education sector to create their own School Leavers’ Toolkit.

Additional information/next steps

 

Discussion with parents, teachers and employers identified the need for greater cooperation and communication across this group to ensure that students had the right skills to transition from school. Consequently, two websites were developed as part of the School Leavers’ Toolkit – a school facing website and a student facing website. The Pilot (milestone 4) is running until 2022 and is well underway

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

 

Commitment 4: To make New Zealand’s secondary legislation readily accessible

The problem that the commitment will address

To make New Zealand’s secondary legislation more readily accessible.

How the commitment will contribute to solving the problem

The lack of clarity about what secondary legislation is, and how the public access it, undermines citizen’s access to the law and understanding of their rights and obligations under that law, which is fundamental to the operation and accountability of systems for that law. It also hinders the transparency and accountability of makers’ responsibility to Parliament.

Implementing the initial reforms will establish one unified category of law where several categories previously existed. It will make clear for the first time what is secondary legislation:

· resolving any current ambiguity

· improving public access to secondary legislation made by both government and non-governmental entities by making it clear where secondary legislation should be published

· clarifying whether secondary legislation is subject to Parliamentary oversight through the Parliamentary disallowance process and

· improving Parliamentary scrutiny of secondary legislation.

We are laying the necessary foundations for ongoing future improvements by defining the category and standardising the requirements relating to secondary legislation.

Parliament isn’t the only body that makes laws in New Zealand. Parliament can pass Acts that delegate that power to a number of different bodies. The power to make secondary legislation is delegated to departments within the public service (e.g. the Department of Internal Affairs or the Commerce Commission) and outside the public service, to community or professional boards and councils (e.g. the Dental Council or the NZ Racing Board). We have identified that the power to make secondary legislation has been delegated to approximately 150 bodies in Aotearoa New Zealand (other than Parliament). The number of other bodies was never known and the various requirements that applied to that legislation were also quite different and varied from Act to Act. It was unclear what was secondary legislation and what publication and presentation requirements applied, making it difficult for citizens to know whether secondary legislation existed and, if it did, where to find it. The changes will make it much easier for citizens to know what secondary legislation has been made, where it must be published, and what Parliamentary oversight applies to it, enabling them to engage with the process. This links to technology and innovation for openness.

Why this commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Transparency, and Technology and Innovation

Milestone

Compile a complete list of makers of secondary legislation.

 

Engage with makers of secondary legislation to:

· encourage them to identify all of their current in-force secondary legislation in preparation for the commencement of the Legislation Act 2019

· encourage them to make their current in-force legislation publicly available on a website.

Enhancements to the New Zealand legislation website to improve access to secondary legislation by:

· providing links under relevant empowering provisions in Acts (primary legislation) to external makers of secondary legislation

· making publication requirements easier for users to see by noting this information under the relevant empowering provisions.

Start/end dates

2018–2020

2018–2020

2018–2020

Completion[1]

Underway – will be delivered following commencement.

Underway – will continue as part of PCO’s new legislative system stewardship role, established by the Legislation Act 2019 and will go beyond the work contemplated by this milestone.

Underway – will be delivered from commencement and as part of updating all of the legislation amended by the Secondary Legislation Act 2021.

Description of the results

The Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) has drafted two new Acts (the Legislation Act 2019 and the Secondary Legislation Act 2021). The Acts commenced on 28 October 2021. The milestones in this commitment and PCO’s future programme of work (which commenced in NAP2) relied on the commencement of these two Acts.

Together these Acts define the category of secondary legislation and amend hundreds of Acts to make it clear what is secondary legislation. They also define who the makers of secondary legislation are and set the foundations for working with those makers to improve access to their secondary legislation and to provide links to them from the New Zealand legislation website. The work to link to secondary legislation published on the New Zealand legislation website and to include additional information for users about publication and other requirements starts on commencement of these Acts and will continue as part of PCO’s ongoing system stewardship work for legislation.

Additional information/next steps

 

PCO has a clear system stewardship role that is established under the Legislation Act 2019. Under its stewardship role, PCO will continue to build on the initial benefits created by the secondary legislation reforms, continuing to take steps to improve the ability to access secondary legislation.

PCO’s strategic intentions (1 July 2020 to 30 June 2024) contains the following initiatives which will continue beyond the work in this commitment:

· all secondary legislation available online- includes our commitment to work with the makers of secondary legislation to evaluate various options for further implementation of the Legislation Act

· improved legislative capability across government - PCO has committed to taking a system leadership role to get meaningful improvement in legislative capability across government. This includes working with key participants to establish systems and processes to improve legislative capability and managing risks, as well as sharing information on best practices.

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

 

Commitment 5: Public participation in policy development

The problem that the commitment addresses

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) will assist the New Zealand public sector to develop a deeper and more consistent understanding of what good engagement with the public means (right across the International Association of Public Participation’s spectrum of Public Participation).

How the commitment contributes to solving the problem

The guidance, resources and tools developed guide policy advisors on what constitutes good practice community engagement in government policy making and what good practice looks like when engaging at each level of the internationally recognised framework, the Spectrum of Public Participation (Spectrum). A deeper understanding of what good engagement looks like and guidance on best practice methods across government contributes to a more consistent and coherent approach to public participation in policy.

Commitment 5 contributes to the OGP value of public participation by equipping policy practitioners with tools and resources to provide more opportunities for community engagement and citizens to participate in the development of policies and decision making.

Why the commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Public Participation.

Milestones

Extend existing Policy Methods Toolbox guidance on public participation to include:

(i) A design tool that will assist policy advisers to choose the appropriate level of engagement on the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation for a specific policy issue

(ii) Guidance, for each level of the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation, on the characteristics and enablers of effective public participation and good engagement practice

(iii) Guidance on inclusive engagement approaches that include and reflect the diversity of those interested and affected by policies

(iv) Principles and concepts of community engagement in policy development

(v) Guidance on building government agencies’ organisational capability and readiness for community engagement

(vi) Guidance on different types of community engagement methods, and their appropriateness for each level on the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation.

Develop and share recent case studies documenting New Zealand innovation success stories in public participation in the policy development process.

 

Identify a ‘live’ policy issue in which to trial public engagement in policy development that is higher on the public participation spectrum than inform or consult, as a demonstration project.

 

Widely disseminate the results of the milestones.

 

Start/end dates

October 2018 – October 2020

Oct 2018 – October 2020

Oct 2018 – December 2020

December 2020 – June 2021

Completion

Completed

Completed

Completed

Completed

Description of the results

DPMC were invited to present at the IAP2 annual symposium on the work done under this commitment. All presentations were well-received; workshops identified further complexity that led to additional tools being developed. There was a significant increase in web traffic and downloads of the DPMC’s community engagement web pages; and numerous downloads of the six community engagement resources and demonstration project report (see the Policy Project’s community engagement page).

Additional information/next steps

 

The DPMC’s work on community engagement will continue and include running training events on community engagement; finalising a checklist to support good practice community engagement; encouraging government agencies to use the tools and resources developed; and promoting case studies of good engagement practice.

 

Commitment 6: Service design

The problem that the commitment addresses

To develop an assessment model to support implementation of the all-of-government Digital Service Design Standard (the Standard) by public sector agencies. The Standard provides the design thinking to support the objective of New Zealanders being able to work collaboratively with government to shape the design of public services. Collaboratively designed services will be more trusted, accessible, integrated and inclusive. The assessment model provides the basis to assess and measure agencies’ performance against the Standard and it supports a mindset and culture change, both at an individual agency maturity level and in terms of system-wide change.

How the commitment contributes to solving the problem

Developing an assessment model aimed to encourage public sector agencies to implement the all-of- government Digital Service Design Standard. Implementing the Standard more widely across government was intended to improve the quality of government digital design and ensure a trusted and trustworthy digital and data system. In fact, work on the commitment helped to clarify the specific problems with the current Standard and the solution.

Why the commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Public Participation, and Technology and Innovation.

Milestones

Identify suitable assessment models for supporting agency uptake of the standard, including options for assessment and measurement of performance against the standard.

Publish preferred assessment model for implementation.

Public engagement on a refresh and review of the Digital Service Design Standard.

#NEW To pilot an assessment model in order to understand what agencies need to implement the standard.

Start/end dates

August 2018 – March 2019

April 2019 – June 2021

Dec 2019 – June 2020

January 2020 - December 2021

Completion[1]

Completed

Some delays

No longer applicable

Completed

Description of the results

Focused 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. The finalisation of an assessment model (milestone 2) needs to follow on from a review and a refresh of the standard. This means the milestone has not been completed before the end of the plan.

Additional information/next steps

www.digital.govt.nz/standards-and-guidance/digital-service-design-standard/

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

 

Commitment 7: Official information

The problem that the commitment addresses

To improve the availability of official information by:

· providing advice to the Government on whether to initiate a formal review of official information legislation

· progressively increasing the proactive release of official information by publishing responses to requests for information made under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).

How the commitment contributes to solving the problem

This commitment builds on work – undertaken as part of the National Action Plan 2016–2018 – on making official information more accessible, which promotes good government and supports trust and confidence in the public services.

Access to timely, trustworthy information is vital to an informed population. It removes barriers to and improves public participation by increasing understanding and opening up decision-making. Milestone 1 has identified areas where the relevant legislation could be enhanced, strengthened or updated to better enable this access. Milestones 2 and 3 have taken steps towards increasing the amount of information that is made available without being requested in the interests of transparency and accountability.

Why the commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Public Participation, and Transparency and Accountability.

Milestones

Test the merits of undertaking a review of the Official Information Act 1982 and provide and publish advice to Government.

Achieve a measurable increase in the proactive publication of official information request responses.

Implement a policy to publish Cabinet papers proactively within 30 days of final decisions, unless there are good reasons to withhold specific papers.

Start/end dates

Following the report back of the Privacy Bill – (September 2019)

October 2018 to June 2021

October 2018 to June 2019

Completion

Completed

Completed

Completed

Description of the results

Milestone one, consultation to establish the merits of a review of the Official Information Act 1982 was conducted and advice provided to the government. Milestones 2 and 3 were successfully completed with a 70.7% increase in proactive release of official information request responses between July 2018 and June 2021 (and a 54.8% increase in the number of agencies doing so over the same period) and the agreement of Cabinet to implement a policy to proactively release Cabinet material. This latter policy has been in place since 1 January 2019.

Additional information/next steps

 

In January 2021, the Minister of Justice signalled an intention to consider whether to propose a review of the OIA later in this Parliamentary term. Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission wants to see continued growth in both the number of OIA responses published and the number of agencies doing so, with this work leading into more proactive release generally.

A dataset showing the publishing locations of agencies’ Cabinet papers (where agencies use a centralised publication model) is available on the Commission’s proactive release webpage and www.data.govt.nz.

 

Commitment 8: Review of government use of algorithms

The problem that the commitment addresses

To increase the transparency and accountability of how government uses algorithms.

How the commitment contributes to solving the problem

The Algorithm Assessment report, a cross-government review of how government uses algorithms to improve the lives of New Zealanders, was published in 2018. The Assessment Report aimed to ensure New Zealanders are informed and have confidence in how the government uses algorithms. Fourteen government agencies self-assessed the algorithms they use to deliver their functions, focusing on areas most directly impacting decisions related to people. The Assessment Report spurred the development of the Algorithm Charter, which was launched in July 2020. On becoming signatories, agencies commit to applying the six commitments set out in the Charter.

This commitment directly supports the OGP value of transparency and accountability as well as technology and innovation for openness. The 2018 Assessment Report helped to provide transparency around government use of algorithms and is publicly available on the data.govt.nz website. The Assessment Report then led to the development of the Algorithm Charter. In signing up to the Charter agencies demonstrate a commitment to ensuring New Zealanders can have confidence in how government agencies use algorithms.

Why the commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Transparency and Accountability.

Milestones

Complete an initial review of existing operational algorithms and their use across a range of government agencies.

Consider next steps for all-of-government assurance on the government’s use of algorithms in collaboration with Civil Society representatives.

Update this commitment (and its milestones) to reflect the progress made in previous milestones.

Start/end dates

1 June 2018 to 31 October 2018

31 October 2018 to 28 February 2019

1 March 2019 to 30 June 2021

Completion

Completed

Completed

Completed

Description of the results

All milestones were achieved. The Algorithm Assessment Report provided a review of government algorithms and was delivered in 2018. Following the Report, a draft Algorithm Charter was developed, in conjunction with civil society and in July 2020 the Algorithm Charter for Aotearoa New Zealand was launched. 27 government agencies have now signed up to the Charter and signatories are making steady progress in implementing the Charter’s commitments. In addition, strong leadership by Stats NZ and TINZ in a cutting-edge area led to an invitation to join the OGP Leaders Network pilot programme to share learnings from the commitment with an international audience.

Additional information/next steps

 

An independent review of the Charter has begun and is due to be completed by the end of 2021. The objective of the review is to learn from the first year of the Charter’s implementation so enhanced implementation support can be provided. While the Government Chief Data Steward continues to encourage agencies to sign up to the Charter, further plans to build on what had been delivered include: sharing New Zealand’s experience with international networks; enhancing longer-term implementation support and continuing to work with Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) as the key civil society partner.

 


Commitment 9: Increase the visibility of government’s data stewardship practices

The problem that the commitment addresses

Currently, New Zealanders do not have sufficient visibility of how their data is managed by government, what it is used for, and how it is safeguarded. The lack of transparency will undermine the confidence and trust of those who provide government with their data.

How the commitment contributes to solving the problem

Developing and publishing an overview of government’s data stewardship practices would provide New Zealanders with assurance that mechanisms are in place to ensure government handles their data responsibly, ethically, and safely. Work on defining and enabling good data stewardship would lift data practices across government and enable greater accountability.

Transparency of government data practices will help maintain the trust of New Zealanders and they will be able to hold government to account if current practices are not satisfactory. Transparency will also support dialogue on data issues and concerns, to ensure practices address what is important to New Zealanders.

Why the commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Transparency and Accountability.

Milestones

Develop and publish an overview of government’s data stewardship practices.

Engage with citizens and government on the data stewardship overview to ensure it provides visibility of the right things and is addressing key needs.

Promote the data stewardship practices to government agencies and support them to implement good practice.

Engage with citizens and government to identify where effort should be focused to address gaps in government’s data stewardship practices.

Start/end dates

August 2018 to 30 November 2018

1 December 2018 to 30 April 2019

1 May 2019 – ongoing

1 May 2019 to 30 Nov 2019 (then ongoing)

Completion [1]

Completed

Some delays

Completed

Some delays

Description of the results

In September 2018 Cabinet authorised the Government Chief Data Steward to set mandatory standards and guidelines for the collection, management and use of data by government agencies and to direct agencies to adopt common data capabilities. Using research and feedback from agencies, Stats NZ developed a framework to describe the different elements of effective data stewardship. The framework provides the structure and language for collating a toolkit of data stewardship guidance, resources and tools. Stats NZ’s engagement with agencies revealed a wide diversity in data literacy, stewardship awareness, practices, and maturity across government. This was reinforced in the review of successes and barriers to data access and use across government during the response to the COVID pandemic.

Additional information/next steps

The work has demonstrated that achieving consistent and transparent data stewardship practices will be a multi-year initiative and the objective of the commitment will not be met during the term of the plan. This work will be continued in the Government Data Strategy and Roadmap developed by the Government Chief Data Steward.

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

 

Commitment 10: Monitoring the effectiveness of public body information management practices

The problem that the commitment addresses

To make the management of government information more visible and therefore transparent by developing and implementing a monitoring framework that supports public reporting on the effectiveness of information management by central and local government agencies.

How the commitment contributes to solving the problem

Two key components form the Framework. Together they provide a comprehensive view of the performance of information and records management in the public sector: an annual survey of public offices and local authorities’ information and records management; and an audit of public offices information and records management.

A monitoring framework enables the regulator to assess performance and give guidance to agencies about the standards to be met and their progress in meeting the standards. The monitoring framework will build public trust and confidence in the management of government agency information and provide an accountability mechanism.

Why the commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Transparency and Accountability.

Milestones

Develop a proposed monitoring framework that reflects the Information and Records Management Standard and includes a suite of consistent and relevant measures to enable public visibility of the effectiveness of agency information management. This could include technology to enable a whole-of system view of government information holdings and the effectiveness of its management.

Communication and engagement: the proposed framework and its potential options are consulted on with regulated parties and other potential users.

Rolling it out. Ensuring that the implemented monitoring activity is useful for, and easily used by, the regulated agencies to improve performance and that a common view of results is available to all stakeholders (including the public).

 

Start/end dates

July 2018 – December 2018

July 2018 – July 2019

April 2019 – July 2020

Completion

Completed

Completed

Completed

Description of the results

The new monitoring framework supports Archives New Zealand (Archives) to focus its work as regulator of the performance of public sector information and records management. The monitoring framework enables Archives to use what is learned from monitoring to support the sector to more effectively improve information and records management practice and performance. The Framework is an important part of a larger Archives work programme to implement a long term strategy, Archives 2057, and feeds directly into our strategic focus areas of upholding transparency and building systems together.

Additional information/next steps

This commitment has been completed.

 

Commitment 11: Authoritative dataset of government organisations
as open data for greater transparency

The problem that the commitment addresses

To release and maintain an authoritative dataset of government organisations as open, machine-readable data to enhance the transparency of government structures to the public. There will be cross-agency agreement to maintain this dataset, providing assurance that the data being used is the authoritative source. This dataset becomes a foundation for both digital services and information about government.

How the commitment contributes to solving the problem

Under this commitment, the open data set will be released on data.govt.nz and be accessible via the data.govt.nz open data Application Programming Interface (API). Opportunities for reuse of the dataset will be promoted. Appropriate common standards for the dataset will be agreed across government, with the owners, contributors and maintainers of the information identified and agreed. As a result of this work, New Zealanders and others will have access to authoritative open data about government agencies and their roles, learn more about how government is structured, what agencies do, and be able to reuse this open data in new and innovative ways. It will enhance the transparency of government structures to the public.

Why the commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Technology and Innovation and Transparency and Accountability.

Milestones

Identify owners, contributors and maintainers for the data in the proposed dataset.

Investigate and agree on the appropriate open standards for the dataset.

Work with identified dataset contributors to agree on the process for ongoing maintenance of the dataset.

Explore and then agree on a governance model and ongoing ownership for the data model and data set.

Publish the machinery of government open data set, released by the Public Services Commission in 2020, on data.govt.nz.

Draft and then confirm a data model of the ‘machinery of government’ to support the ongoing release of data about government organisations.

Ongoing technical task of making the data set available via the data.govt.nz open data Application Programming Interface (API).

Secure active users of the dataset/API by promoting the opportunities for reuse to government agencies, non-governmental organisations, business, and the public.

Start/end dates

Oct 2018 – Dec 2018

Oct 2018 – June 2021

Dec 2018 – June 2021

Aug 2020 – June 2021

Dec 2018 – June 2020

Jan 2020 – June 2021

Dec 2018 – June 2021

June 2019 – June 2021

Completion[1]

Completed

Underway

Some delays

Underway

Completed

Underway

Some delays

Underway

Description of the results

We improved access to information about the structure of government agencies. Since June 2020 this has been available as an open data option via data.govt.nz. In the medium-term, completing the Govt A-Z sandbox experiment will provide valuable insights into the practicalities of consuming datasets in production systems and will demonstrate for decision-makers the potential of the C11 dataset. The Department of Internal Affairs has committed resources to a two-phased implementation plan involving: Build and Release (phase 1) and Maintain and Develop (phase 2). The implementation plan will begin in early 2022.

Additional information/next steps

Following a review in early 2020, in light of lessons learned in the course of implementation of the commitment and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, four additional milestones were added. These recognised the need to ensure that, once created, the dataset continues to be maintained and enhanced.

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

 

Commitment 12: Open procurement

The problem that the commitment addresses

To publish the data on government-awarded contracts that is currently publicly available on the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS) as open data.

How the commitment contributes to solving the problem

It will be easy for people to find and access published GETS information for contracts awarded by government agencies that are subject to the Government Procurement Rules. This will increase the level of trust the public has in procurement as it will be possible to analyse what contracts government agencies are awarding, what the expected spend is and which businesses have been awarded contracts.

Why the commitment is relevant to OGP values

This supports Transparency and Accountability, and Technology and Innovation.

 

Milestones

In June 2019 MBIE completed enhancements to the GETS system to improve and simplify completing contract award data for government agencies and provided training to agency GETS users on these changes.

This Milestone was completed in the final quarter of 2019, and information on what was intended was provided to agencies and stakeholders. A workshop was held to align the Award data with the Open Data Contracting Standard. Stakeholders had also sought inclusion of historic date, and consideration of this proposal was considered. This proved not to be practicable. This finding is consistent with experience in other comparable international jurisdictions on this.

This milestone was completed in January 2020 with the publication of the second procurement open data report, covering the period July 2019 to December 2019. This work has now transitioned to business as usual.

Work commenced on some areas needing further work to complete mapping to the Open Data Contracting Standard and to consider release of historic data.

Start/end dates

October 2018 – June 2019

July 2019 – December 2019

June 2020 – Ongoing

Completion

Completed

Completed

Completed

Description of the results

The data is public and accessible, the impact will depend on the use to which organisations and individuals put the information they are now able to access and manipulate. 2,400 unique webpage views of our open data page, with the award notice file (the main file of four available) being downloaded almost 1,000 times (obviously people download new copies each quarter). We also made historical data available, and this has also been downloaded ~400 times

Additional information/next steps

 

Consideration is being given to how to make further improvements to the transparency of government procurement data. With regards to future plans, we are looking at improving the data quality to give a more granular data, which will be possible by our recent platforming of the GETS system to Azure. We are also working with agencies to improve the data quality and timeliness of the data provided. Commitment links:

 

Peer Exchange and Learning

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.

Conclusion, Other Initiatives and Next Steps

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