1984 Quiz Result
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Although I am in the law I have not previously, I think, been referred to as a devil's advocate by someone introducing me. But perhaps there is something in the label because I was asked by the organisers to draw together and comment on some of the themes from this morning's session.
At this point I should thank the organisers for having invited me to the conference. I might also rely quite heavily on Sir Paul's excellent synopsis of the speeches this morning. It is important at this stage, just before lunch, in looking over what we have heard and seen this morning to note that the New Zealand Public Service is a key element in our constitution, in our Government. It vitally affects New Zealand's economy, its culture, its society. New Zealand has had cause to be proud of its Public Service. The integrity, the efficiency, the responsiveness, the professionalism of the Public Service in New Zealand is very clear to anyone who has spent any time in any other capital city, and that is not only Beijing or Jakarta, but also Washington or London.
In reviewing the challenges that have been set out this morning for New Zealand's Public Service for the future what can we draw from the various contributions? I would like to suggest that overarching and underlying - if that is possible at the same time - almost every contribution has been two things, had two aspects, two dimensions. The first is that there will be change, as Mick Brown emphasised particularly. There will be change. It is inevitable. We just don't know what it is going to be.
The thing that we should also think about and which is also implicit in a number of things people have said is that there are things which will and which should endure in the way in which the Public Service does things. The State Services Commissioner emphasised at the beginning, when he introduced the session this morning, that the Public Service tradition is an important element of how the Public Service does things. Sir Paul Reeves commented that the Public Service stands or falls on the level of trust that it has from society.
I do suggest that those two elements are linked. I won't comment on Sir Paul's question, that important question: Who forgives public servants? I'll leave that to debate over lunch.
If you think about the session with the wonderful presentation by Jenny Shipley a.k.a. Pinky Agnew I did think that one of the things that stood out about that was the notion of public servants as bookies. There is something in that in terms of predicting not only the future, but your Ministers' minds. Not only are public servants bookies, they are also players in the game, because not only is there a need to predict, but there is also a need to cope with change in the future, to analyse it, to advise on it, and to deliver on it.
One of the things that I took from that first session on the implications of change is what is important for the Public Service to grapple with. Change is going to happen, but what are the implications for people, for technology, for the economy, for culture?
Mick Brown said a number of wise and wonderful things and I'm not going to attempt to summarise that Mick, but one of the things which I thought he said of more importance was the need for leadership with subtlety. If you think about the complexity of our society and our economy and technology then it seems to me that one of the most important elements of leadership, of management and of behaviour by the Public Service is in its subtlety of approach. I think that what that means is that there needs to be genuine commitment to listening, to interest groups, communities, and even occasionally perhaps politicians.
The three speakers immediately preceding Michael Wintringham each took quite a different slice at the challenges that the future holds for New Zealand as well as the Public Service.
The simple statement "I want a job," has to resonate at an individual level, but what Kaa-Sandra was saying there was not just about herself, she was talking about a vision of society that she and her children want to be part of and live in. Education, health, technology innovation, community safety, are all elements of what the Public Service is actually working towards.
Craig Soper took that broader. He said that New Zealand currently is the best place in the world and that we need to have a vision of having the best quality of life. He talked about the Public Service taking risks, thinking differently, and recognising the effects that Government has on others.
Dorothy Wilson reminded us that not only do we live in a world that is increasingly globalised, but we also live in a world that is increasingly localised. Those two themes do dominate life in 2002. What they both combine to mean, I think, is that that interdependence of central government, local government, business, iwi, community organisations is going to be key to the way in which the Public Service does its business.
The key task, the key point of that session, is for you as public servants to listen, to be open to what was being said, to engage with it, and to demonstrate a flexibility and open-mindedness that you will carry through when you go back to the office tomorrow. This is whatever the particular messages you may have taken from the speakers in that session, and whether you agree with the particular suggestions or not.
Michael made an important address to you today. I'm sure there will be something on the SSC website to look at. Not only did he pose the challenges for the future and raise unsettling questions about the future of the Public Service - and note his own shift of emphasis from systems and structure to values and people. He also outlined this in the context of there being no compromise on integrity, honesty and accountability. He also outlined an important initiative under the label of the Review of the Centre. Whatever you think of it this does seem to contain what I regard as the most important initiative in public sector management for the last 10 years.
If the senior leadership and management strategy that has been discussed and that will be decided on finally - and it was described in brief by Michael - comes to fruition, I think that the Public Service will have a much better basis on which to fulfil its potential. So in conclusion I would like to end on three points.
The first is that change is a constant factor in the Public Service environment. It is a constant factor for public servants to reckon with, to adapt to and to anticipate and it is part of the job and it seems to be getting faster.
The second point is that the more that things change the more it is important to hold to those things in the Public Service tradition that are vital, in particular, principles and values. I would suggest that one of the key values to hold to and to enhance is preparedness to listen and engage and respond with the various interest groups in society.
