Judith Collins: Public Service Minister on the public service census

A census sent out to all government workers is wider reaching than simply identifying cost cutting advice.  

Thousands of public servants across all agencies have been asked in a census to identify taxpayer value in their work and any changes needed, with results expected in July.  

The survey's done every five years. 

Public Service Minister Judith Collins told Mike Hosking how to save money is just one of many focuses.  

She says it also asks about concerns people have around any unacceptable sexual harassment and bullying, adding it's therefore a two-way exercise. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Another look at the public service, where the government asking
whether the work provides value for the tax payer. We
got thousands of workers having been required to identify areas
for further cost cutting across every government agency. The Internal
Census also looked at the use of TERRAO and the
work from home arrangements. The results are expected later on
this year. The Public Service Minister Judith Collins isn't chargeable
of this and she's with us.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Good morning, oh and good morning to you mate.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
And what have we got going on here? Is this
a fishing expedition? Do you have a path you already
want to follow? What are we doing well?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
The Public Service Commission has previously done a survey of
public servants and this is one which is very focused on,
first off, a few things, one how to save tax
payer money. Are there opportunities that the public service servants
can actually see themselves. But it's also around saying things
like sexual and harassment and bullying are not acceptable the workplace,

(00:52):
so let us know if your concerns are being met.
So there's a two way thing, but there's other things too.
It's quite a wide ranging sensus.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
I've been through these things before. When you say are
there savings to be made, They come back and say,
we'll have different buns at morning tea and we'll save
on paper clips. It's a waste of time.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, I don't know that it is actually the public
service when when we took over and government just over
a year ago had grown in six years by thirty
four percent, as well as consultant spending is going right
through the roof. So no, I don't think so, I
think what there are. There will be some people who

(01:34):
think this is a bit of a joke. But the
words that are used in this sense is that all
the way through it are taxpayers money. That's something that
needs to be rammed home every single day that there
is no money from government. It's taxpayers money, either taxpayers
now or taxpayers in the future. So that's a message

(01:55):
that's very clearly all the way through the census.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Why don't you just doze them, get in their bulldoze
the place, clean it up.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
I don't think we've got quite the same situation as
the federal government in the US. And the other thing too,
is that we're going to have a we've asked for
savings on consultants outside consultants, we're looking for four hundred
million dollars. I think Wednesday this week the results we out,
I'm expecting that to be considerably more than that. So

(02:25):
we are looking for the savings and a lot of
the public servants they want to be efficient, they want
to be effective, and they want to be proud of
their work.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Well, I'm not sure about that because I've read the
Roche report and I've read the deloittees report into the health.
The Roche report said the public service is not fit
for purpose, So don't you have the ammunition you need.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Well, we've got the Roach in charge of it now,
so we are sorting it and you're going to find
that there are going to be big changes. So Brian
wrote to the Commissioners of Public Service. He's been pretty clear.
There are some things he thinks we should get rid
of auto together. There are other things that he's been
done more effectively. We are absolutely working on that. At

(03:05):
the same time, we have to keep things moving and
we are and you know, I people want a doze
and all that. We have to work within the law.
And the other thing is we've got changes to the
Public Service Act which are coming up because under Chris Hipkins,
when he was in government. What they did is they
put all this rubbish into the key concerns for chief executives,

(03:29):
the public service or bringing everything back to basics. Do
the job, do it well, do it efficiently, and remember
someone else's pain and by the way, that someone else's youth.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
When you talk about the Deloitte's report into Health New
Zealand and their problems and I watch both here over
the weekend talking about Health New Zealand being a problem
around the freedom of information, is that individual units that
are more problematic than others.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Well, health is not my portfolio. I'm happy to give
you my view that when you take was it twenty
eight eight, mostly dysfunctional organizations, put them together. Nobody loses
their jobs. Everyone keeps a job and gets a new
title of manager, you're going to get a problem. And
that's what they did, Labor did. So it is being sorted,
but it is going to take some time. But you know,

(04:16):
it's like merging dysfunctional agencies never brings about instantly. A
better functioning agency just doesn't work.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
No, it does not. I wish you were were that.
Judith Collins, Public Services Ministry. For more from the Mic
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