Te kimi kaitono Recruiting candidates

As shown in Figure 2 below, potential candidates can be identified in several ways, including advertising publicly, nominations from interested groups or MPs, seeking suggestions from current chairs and board members, or from community and professional networks. Nominating agencies have direct links to their community and regional networks. To make the most of these networks, ask the nominating agencies to promote vacancies through their communication platforms and through any regional networks they may have in place.

Ministers may want assurance that recommendations for appointment are based on the widest possible canvassing of high-quality candidates. Seeking candidates using as many of the opportunities as possible in Figure 2 will broaden the reach to potential candidates.

Departments that maintain their own database of people who are interested in being appointed to boards need to check regularly that stored information is accurate, current and that those on the database remain interested and available for nomination.

Where nomination of a representative of a particular organisation, community or sector is involved, rather than an application process, officials should obtain the minister's agreement before exploring a candidate's availability. Departments must manage nominees' expectations carefully, to avoid raising expectations that they’ll be appointed or reappointed. Candidates also should be made aware that a range of factors may impact on decision timelines and the outcome.

Figure 2 shows the channels available to promote and fill vacancies. The four red ringed channels are the standard approach for each appointment search with the other options such as social media, providing opportunities for a broader reach.

Commercial search organisations are optional as there is a cost involved. This approach is mostly used when recruiting a chair or potentially a member for a high-profile board with specialist skills, or in a situation where other searches have not produced suitable candidates.

Responsible ministers are cognisant that appointments to government bodies need to reflect the make-up of Aotearoa New Zealand society and they will generally require the recruitment process to be as inclusive as possible when seeking a new candidate for a board role.

Figure 2: Channels used for filling board vacancies

If the vacancy is advertised, it should include a statement, to assist with assessing the suitability of candidates, shortlisted applicants may be subject to background checks and national security screening. Candidates should be asked to authorise background checks. Authorisation is not required for national security screening. To assist their candidacy, nominees should ensure their CVs are up-to-date and accurate.

Privacy principles are a legal requirement. Advertisements should include or provide a link to your agency’s and AppointNet’s Privacy Statement. Effective appointment practices will address the privacy considerations detailed in Privacy principles.

To find the best candidates and attract diverse applications for public sector board appointments, first consider where to advertise the vacancy to achieve a broad reach. Implementing the Gender Pay Principles and removing gender bias in recruitment processes(PDF, 725 KB) provides advice on developing job descriptions and advertisements that are bias-free, which can usefully inform the consideration of different biases.

In the first instance, all board vacancies should be consulted on with the responsible minister and the board chair to agree the skills and competencies required for the role, representation needs, and confirm the recruitment approach before going to market with an advertisement.

Through this consultation, the responsible minister may express their desire to consult with their caucus and coalition colleagues, where relevant. Ministers and chairs will have sector and portfolio knowledge that may lead to suggested candidates. Early consultation with ministerial colleagues is useful for high profile or chair roles.

Board chairs will be able to reflect their knowledge of the workings of the board, and using a skills matrix approach, the technical and personal skills that could best contribute to the board's performance. Where possible, board chairs should be consulted for their perspective on:

• the functioning and skills of the current board
• the extent to which diversity of membership needs to be addressed
• the findings of recent board evaluations
• any board capability gaps or future needs
• resulting position descriptions and competencies required.

When it’s time to seek a candidate, the advertisement and position description should be made publicly available on your agency’s website (if the platform allows for that) and on an independent public job search platform such as Jobs.govt.nz. This will provide a transparent and fair opportunity for potential candidates to apply. The advertisement link can be easily promoted further by using the department’s social media channels and by tapping into the nomination agencies networks through their social media platforms, to reach a wider audience.

A list of government-approved external recruitment services providers is available.

Nominating agencies maintain databases of suitably qualified people from within their specific populations. A list of the nominating services available is provided below. The nominating agencies can assist by reviewing their databases to provide a list of matched potential candidates. It’s important to note that ample time must be allowed for the nominating agencies to search within their databases and networks to provide a considered list of potential candidates. It’s advised to allow approximately two to three weeks for this step.

Nominating agencies can also assist by promoting vacancies across their networks via communication platforms and through their regional offices and networks. Send a copy of the advertisement to the nominating agencies asking them to post on their social media accounts and promote within their regional networks. By reaching out to nominating agencies’ networks in this way, the opportunity will reach a broader audience.

The following nominating agencies can assist with your recruitment and have access to diverse networks across New Zealand.

Writing position descriptions, board profiles, and advertisements can be used to tailor information and person specifications for each vacancy and reappointment. It’s important to make clear in advertisements for board vacancies that background checks (see Checking background) will be carried out and that their information will be held in a central digital solution called AppointNet. For the privacy statement to be used in recruitment please see below.

To seek skills, knowledge, and experience, such as relevant cultural capability and insight, gender diversity and relationships with under-represented communities, consider reviewing the requirements and criteria in role descriptions to ensure that these attributes are appropriately considered and acknowledged.

Clear position descriptions:

• give candidates a greater understanding of what’s required before they decide whether to apply for a board appointment
• clearly detail the expectations associated with the role, including the requirement to comply with any relevant code of conduct
• provide decision makers with benchmarks against which to measure the attributes of candidates allowing for skills profiling against competencies required
• help nominating agencies identify candidates with the required relevant skills and experience
• reinforce the principle of merit-based appointments.

A new digital solution, AppointNet, was built in 2024 to capture all board and committee appointment information. AppointNet captures core information on all ministerial and government agency appointments to provide a joined-up view across government and assist with required reporting.

AppointNet is accessible by approved licence users within government agencies. The Commission is the owner of the digital solution with agencies owning the information relative to their boards and committees sitting under their portfolios.

At the point of recruitment, it is essential to include the privacy statement below which provides detail on the use of the appointee’s personal information and what they are agreeing to by applying for the role. The statement makes clear the use of the personal information will be limited for the purposes which it is collected, and that all information will be stored securely.

AppointNet Privacy Statement

• We Public Service Commission, 2 The Terrace, Wellington collect personal information from you, including information about your:
  • Name
  • Demographic (gender, age range and ethnicity)
  • Contact information
  • Location
• Public Service Commission, 2 The Terrace, Wellington collect your personal information to:
  • inform an appointment to a government body
  • track and report representation on government bodies
• Public Service Commission, 2 The Terrace, Wellington  store information on:
  • Name of body(s)
  • Portfolio for the relevant body(s)
  • Term of appointment and number of  term(s) 
  • Agreed fee for appointment including any fee exceptions in place 
  • Appointment method (eg elected or appointed)
  • Appointing authority for each appointment (who is responsible for the appointment) 
  • Appointment publishing requirements
• Public Service Commission, 2 The Terrace, Wellington store information on appointments to:
  • Inform appointments to government bodies
  • Track and report appointment terms and conditions and representation
• We share appointment (exclusive of fee information) and  your personal information with licenced users within Departments, Departmental Agencies, Non Public Service Departments (full list available here - Central government organisations - Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission ) that assist responsible Ministers and other appointing authorities with appointments to Public Sector boards and committees.
• Public Service Commission, 2 The Terrace will have full access to all fee information for required reporting. 
• The information stored in AppointNet is used for managing and monitoring  appointments on behalf of the relevant appointing authority. Providing some information is optional. If you choose not to enter demographic and contact information, we'll be unable to provide an accurate view of the board appointments system in our reporting.
• We will not use your information without asking for your permission, for any other purpose than stated above.
• You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information AppointNet hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, please contact us at cerc@publicservice.govt.nz.

Sometimes the expertise needed by a board justifies consideration of overseas-based candidates (see Checking background). Care should be taken to ensure they understand the wider New Zealand cultural landscape within which the board operates, clarify such matters as reimbursement of expenses, the right to work in New Zealand, and find the most cost-effective way of conducting checks and interviews.

Departments and ministers will want to balance the possible criticism of additional costs that could result from an overseas board appointment, against making sure the board has the best possible range of skills to meet its objectives.

Suitably qualified and experienced public servants or Crown entity employees may be appointed by ministers to public bodies. The current Cabinet Office circular CO(02) 5 Appointment of Public Servants to Statutory Boards provides for the appointment of public servants employed by core Public Service agencies to support improved board performance, build capacity especially in respect to increasing diversity, and to capitalise on government experience that a public servant can bring. Public servants can add value to public bodies offering professional or technical skills in addition to their understanding of government. The Commission should be consulted on proposals to appoint public servants including employees of Public Service agencies[1], Crown agents, and other statutory Crown entities (autonomous Crown entities and independent Crown entities). This will help to ensure a consistent approach across the Public Sector to consideration of appointing public servants to boards and maintaining public trust and confidence in government services.

Like all board appointments, these appointments may raise conflict of interest issues and matters relating to balancing board and substantive public servant workloads, and secondary employment.

Subject to an agency’s secondary employment policy, a public servant is expected to obtain their employer’s consent as soon as they become aware they are being nominated or considered for engagement in any board activity outside work that might affect the public servant’s employment relationship and the employer’s consent may be required. Engagement with the employer on the appointment proposal should occur early in the appointment process and will need to outline the benefit and provide evidence that public trust and confidence will not be negatively affected.

Leaders should consider whether to consult their Minister when they are considering whether to consent to an employee being considered for appointment to a public body or an external board. This is in line with the expectation for public sector leaders to inform or consult their Minister promptly of matters of significance within their portfolios, particularly where these matters may be controversial or may become the subject of public debate.

Consenting to an appointment is a matter of judgement guided by three main principles:

• the principle of trust and confidence in the Public Sector as it applies to the role
• the principle of acting in good faith in relation to secondary employment by balancing workloads between board work and the substantive employment role
• the principle of disclosure and management of interests.

Whether a board role might impact on a work role, and whether it can be managed, may depend on:

• public perception of the board role and potential impact on trust and confidence in the public sector
• the seniority and nature of the public servant’s substantive role
• the nature of the board concerned, public sector, community or private
• the scope and scale of the board’s political activity
• whether potential, perceived and actual conflicts of interest can be managed appropriately
• whether the perception of a conflict of interest could affect the confidence of Ministers and the public in the Public Service
• the balance of board and substantive public servant workloads.

Senior leaders may extend their public service by contributing to public sector boards where the greater good for the overall public service can be supported by their employer by managing the responsibilities and commitments of their substantive role to enable them to contribute. This means that they may retain their normal salary but not receive a board fee.

Based on an estimate of when a general election will take place (every three years and usually in October), departments should (where possible) avoid proposing appointees whose terms would conclude immediately before or after a general election. It’s been the practice for recent governments to exercise restraint in making significant appointments in the pre-election period (generally the three-month period prior to the election). Appointments not considered to be significant may proceed in the usual way during this period.[2]

Departments should also consider including information on upcoming appointments in briefing their responsible minister after a general election. Further advice can be sought at the appropriate time from the Cabinet Office.

Appointing departments must provide all candidates and nominees with information about the board in which a vacancy has arisen. This list can help you think about the different kinds of information that should be provided.

This information is important for candidates to make an informed judgement about the skills and commitment required of an effective board member, as well as of the potential areas of concern such as possible conflicts of interest. For a successful candidate, this initial contact will act as the start of their induction programme. Its quality and style will set a tone for the ongoing appointment relationship.