Open Government Partnership: Draft New Zealand’s Fourth National Action Plan - 2023-2024

Commitment 1: Adopt a community engagement tool

Objective

Adoption by the Public Service of the Policy Community Engagement Tool (PCET) to lift the quality of community engagement for significant initiatives.

Meaningful citizen engagement is core to open government, and critical to achieving better quality outcomes for all. Effective engagement allows those who are affected by a decision, or interested in an issue, to be involved in policy design, development and decision making. Quality engagement helps create robust policy that reflects the values and aspirations of the community. Policy decisions, resulting from an inclusive and collaborative process, have more credibility. Meaningful engagement with diverse people and communities (including communities empowered to make their own decisions on matters that are deeply important to them), will increase public trust and confidence in government.

Ambition

The aim is to ensure that community engagement on ‘significant’ initiatives is well-designed, planned and delivered. Requiring Public Service agencies to use a Policy Community Engagement Tool will improve how they design engagements from the outset. The trust relationship between government and citizens is enhanced if all parties to an engagement understand their level of participation in the process at the outset, and what that means. It also includes ensuring the engagement methods and processes used reflect the expectations about the level of participation, and what has been promised. Applying this approach will increase public trust and supports a well-functioning democracy. It will enhance Māori-Crown relationships by providing the mechanism for those affected to work through complex long-term issues in a way that is inclusive of all interests and communities.

Status Quo

Community engagement in government policymaking has often been at the level of “consult”. In addition, community engagement practice has not been consistent across government. Work to strengthen community engagement was initiated under Commitment 5 of the Third National Action Plan. The Policy Project, a unit based in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, surveyed policy advisors, community representatives and engagement specialists to better understand their experience of community engagement, and to gain insights to improve participation in policy making. The survey demonstrated a well-understood need to improve government’s approach to community engagement.

As a result, the Policy Project created a toolbox of resources to support agency engagement with communities. The Policy Project has since designed the PCET, which is being piloted by agencies involved in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain (RCOI). The PCET supports RCOI recommendation 38, which requires all public sector community engagement to be in accordance with New Zealand’s OGP commitment. The PCET will be revised in light of feedback on its use during the pilot, ready for adaption for all-of-government use.

Te Tiriti O Waitangi

Developing and applying the International Association for Public Participation’s spectrum of public participation to public engagement in the context of Te Tiriti is likely to: lead to more effective engagement with Māori as both citizens and iwi; produce better quality outcomes; and support Māori-Crown partnerships. There is a distinction between involvement of Māori as citizens and engagement with iwi as Treaty partners in public engagement processes. However, both can help to strengthen relationships between Māori and the Crown and improve decision-making. Lessons learnt and experiences can be shared between Māori-Crown partnership approaches and participatory approaches more broadly.

Lead Agency

Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission

Milestones

Commitment 2: Research deliberative processes for community engagement

Objective

To research how deliberative processes can be adapted to work well in the New Zealand context by identifying at least two examples of deliberative democratic processes on meaningful issues through a public sector/civil society/community alliance. Research to capture lessons learnt and share these to build capability. This will involve adapting the examples to the New Zealand context.

Ambition

To strengthen the range of available options for public participation by identifying pilots and trials where deliberative democratic processes (such as citizens’ assemblies, citizens’ juries, participatory budgeting) are being used. Capture lessons learnt and share these to develop greater awareness and understanding of these innovative practices.

Status Quo

Public authorities from all levels of government overseas increasingly use Citizens' Assemblies, Juries, Panels, and other representative deliberative processes to tackle complex policy problems ranging from climate change to infrastructure investment decisions. There is currently little use of deliberative processes in New Zealand. There is an opportunity to improve community participation over a range of topics by government agencies and communities trialling and experimenting with deliberative processes (for example, at a local level) and adapting these to the New Zealand context. Lessons learnt can be captured and used to improve deliberative processes and potentially to make them scalable to a national level.

The two deliberative processes will be identified through engagement with civil society and agencies. Two recent examples identified by civil society are:

• WaterCare NZ’s largest water and wastewater company who has recently trialled the use of citizen juries as a decision-making process. This is in partnership with the University of Auckland and Koi Tū, the centre for informed futures
• A Wellington based iwi and their use of citizen assemblies (Talanoa/Wananga) to explore local issues with community groups.

During our workshops some agencies are considering the use of deliberate processes, but these were not confirmed at the time of finalising the plan. The final audience for this work is agencies to support capability development and share lessons learnt.

Te Tiriti O Waitangi

Deliberative processes must consider Te Tiriti. Innovative processes to tackle complex problems that incorporate Te Tiriti concepts and values can strengthen community participation and create outcomes that have strong credibility and support.

Lead Agency

Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission

Milestones

Commitment 3: Establish an integrated, multi-channel approach to public services and support

Objective

Provision of integrated, multiple channels for public service delivery - channels to include options which meet diverse needs of all the people of Aotearoa and ensure access for all to public services and support.

Ambition

This commitment will address the barriers people face when government services are delivered online, with limited alternative options for non-digital participation.

The commitment will be achieved through civil society organisations and government agencies working in partnership, to identify best practice models, co-design, develop, and carry out a pilot or pilots, and to create a plan to implement integrated, cross-government, multi-channel public service delivery.

The need for multi-channel access to support and services is an issue strongly supported by civil society representatives. This proposal aligns with the Citizen’s Advice Bureau New Zealand petition to ‘Leave no-one behind – Campaign to address digital exclusion’.  

By giving people the choice of channels, they need for connecting and engaging with public services, a multi-channel service delivery environment will allow people to more easily access their entitlements and fulfil their obligations in respect of government. It will prevent the individual and societal costs experienced when people are unable to easily connect with services and will enhance social inclusion and individual and community wellbeing.

Status Quo

Over the past decade, there has been a push for digital transformation across the public sector. While this has provided benefits in several areas, many processes and interactions with government agencies are now designed to direct people to a digital pathway. While other channels for accessing services, such as public counters, in-person appointments, and phone services have been scaled back or removed.

To date there has been no coordinated across-government initiative with the primary purpose of ensuring the public’s access to multiple channels for connecting with public services and support.

Te Tiriti O Waitangi

Māori have much higher rates of digital exclusion compared to non-Māori and therefore face greater impacts of the Government’s digital-first or digital-only approach to service delivery and the loss of in-person services, especially of kanohi ki te kanohi services. The current approach serves only to create additional barriers to services and support, deepening the disadvantage Māori already face.

Lead Agency

Department of Internal Affairs

Milestones