Contemporary Public Administration in New Zealand
Stories, Culture, Values
By Rodney Scott and Peter Hughes
Published
Mar 27, 2025Page count
272 pagesISBN
978-1529238853Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Mar 27, 2025Page count
272 pagesISBN
978-1529238877Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University Press
Contemporary Public Administration in New Zealand
This book provides an updated account of New Zealand public administration, including insider stories of leading reform.
Hailed for its distinctiveness and high performance, New Zealand’s radical public service reforms of the 1980s were studied, praised, criticised, and emulated around the world.
However, New Zealand has not stood still. The 80s model had tremendous strengths, reducing some problems but also creating new problems and exacerbating others. More recent reforms layered cultural and behavioural approaches on top of earlier changes.
This book, co-authored by the head of the New Zealand public service, describes decades of change, what worked, what didn’t, and what challenges remain.
“Good public administration is essential for economic prosperity and social cohesion, as it ensures the efficient allocation of available resources, effective policy implementation and transparent governance. By fostering trust in institutions, it creates a stable environment for businesses to thrive and encourages fair and equitable opportunities for everyone to get ahead. This strengthens social cohesion, as citizens feel confident in their government’s ability to address their needs and promote overall well-being. This book presents an insightful exploration of contemporary public administration in New Zealand. The OECD is proud to be working with New Zealand through our policy reviews and recommendations, comparative international data and analysis, and our network for government officials, to support ongoing public sector innovation and reform. In turn, we greatly benefit from New Zealand’s insights, expertise and experiences across the OECD’s work with members and partners to support better policies for better lives.”
Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the OECD
“New Zealand offers a global case study of new public management. In this timely volume, Rodney Scott and Peter Hughes track the subtle but sustained evolution of an extraordinary experiment. Their analysis and personal insights inform a compelling account of how a contractual public service machine became a community of practice marked by autonomy and discretion.” Glyn Davis AC, Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australia
"In public administration - as in so much else - New Zealand has the well-deserved reputation for being a fearless innovator. This book captures the story of those innovations, offering thought-provoking insights into what makes the New Zealand approach unique, and what the rest of us can learn from it." Dennis Grube, University of Cambridge
Rodney Scott is an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and was Chief Policy Advisor at the New Zealand Public Service Commission.
Peter Hughes was the Public Service Commissioner and Head of the New Zealand Public Service, and a New Zealand public servant for over 40 years.
1. Introduction
2. Old and New
3. Culture and Values
4. Stewardship
5. Purpose
6. Inclusion
7. Open Government
8. Coordination
9. Conclusion
