Attendees
Representatives from Te Kawa Mataaho | Public Service Commission
Members of the Expert Advisory Panel
Representatives from civil society organisations
Topics for discussion
- Open government programme
- Open Government Partnership (OGP) update
- Civil society organisations’ role when working with government
- Budgeting for action plan commitments (an example of one in use is the Digital Government Partnership Innovation Fund)
Notes
Comments from the Commissioner
- Update on the priorities under the new Public Service Act 2020 – opportunities to create pathways in access to information (ATI), active citizenship, open government and participation in the design of services areas
- The proactive release of Cabinet material policy is in place
- We need to build from that to open access and proactive release
- Active citizenship and participation is using the traditional consultation model – draft, put out for consultation, update and confirm. We want to see a shift in the system – find good examples of co-design and build on them
- Keep moving both within the OGP timetable but also what can be progressed faster
OGP update
- Letter with information about moving to the 2022 cohort is with OGP
- Heading towards the last of the public workshops
- Te Kawa Mataaho is scheduling meetings with the Expert Advisory Panel and civil society organisations with the aim of building a shared understanding of future steps
Comments from civil society organisations
- We need a shared understanding of what open government is or what it means
- Te Kawa Mataaho should guide chief executives regarding open government and assess their progress
- Civil society organisations welcome the opportunity to work with Te Kawa Mataaho - an opportunity to demonstrate good participation – even to extent of civil society organisations co-owning a commitment (similar to UK)
Discussion
- Te Kawa Mataaho is now measuring public trust and confidence quarterly – needs to also be looked at agency by agency where possible
- Mis- and dis-information an increasing area of concern – openness allows public to check for themselves
- Need more examples of government agencies working together (joint ventures such as family and domestic violence work)
- Need to provide diversity and give communities mana and build from their strengths – community-based or -led solutions
- Many civil society organisations and community groups are unfunded – need to build non-government capacity and knowledge