Policies are strategically aligned so that: relevant agencies are driven by the same principles and contribute toward the same outcomes; and there is cross-government engagement with Crown entities and other parts of the relevant sector.
Focus on contributing to the Government’s wider policy priorities
The responsible Minister
- ensures the entity and Department are well informed about the Government’s wider policy priorities and their expected contribution to those priorities
The Crown entity
- understands its expected contribution to wider Government priorities and factors it into planning
- supports current policy settings with external parties
- uses an evidence-based approach to identify and advise on the entity’s contribution to achieving the Government’s wider priorities
Monitoring department
- uses an evidence-based approach to identify and advise on the entity’s contribution to achieving the Government’s wider priorities
- provides context and advice on how entity operations can or could contribute to Government’s sectoral or system objectives
- informs the entity (in a timely manner) of all-of-government policy priorities
Connect with work in other portfolios
The responsible Minister
- actively engages with other Ministers on sector issues affected by work in other portfolios
- actively looks for opportunities to engage with other Ministers on issues affected by their own portfolio
The Crown entity
- understands Government policies that affect its sector
- works with the Department to provide the Minister with timely advice on relevant cross-portfolio issues
Monitoring department
- understands Government policies that affect the entity’s sector
- works with the entity to provide the Minister with timely advice on relevant cross-portfolio issues
- looks across departmental boundaries to build partnerships with government agencies whose work affects the Minister’s portfolio interests
Coordinate work within the portfolio
The responsible Minister
- ensures the entity’s activities are well coordinated and coherent with others in the portfolio
The Crown entity
- actively engages with other portfolio entities as required to ensure coordinated and coherent action
Monitoring department
- leads action to ensure that entities within the portfolio are well coordinated and take coherent action
Engage on strategic aims and priorities
The responsible Minister
- engages with the entity in a meaningful and timely manner on strategic aims and priorities and the overall use of the entity’s resources to achieve these over the next four years
- confirms that the draft Statement of Intent (SOI) reflects their own expectations
- ensures ongoing review of the entity’s multi-year strategic plans
The Crown entity
- engages with the Minister in a meaningful and timely manner on the entity’s strategic aims and priorities
- proposes interventions based on a plausible and transparent intervention logic or theory of change
- during the development of the SOI, engages with the Department on its structure and content
- advises the Minister on the overall use of its resources to achieve its strategic aims and priorities over the next four years, in its draft SOI
- advises the Minister on any identified capacity and capability risks to policy and/or service delivery
- ensures the draft SOI reflects the Minister’s expectations
- puts systems in place to ensure ongoing review of its multi-year SOI and annual SPE
- understands that the Minister can ask for a new SOI at anytime
Monitoring department
- ensures policy intentions are clear and based on evidence about the issue
- advises on whether proposed interventions are based on a plausible and transparent intervention logic and theory of change
- advises the Minister on the fit between the entity’s strategic aims and priorities and overall use of resources, and the Minister’s objectives
- advises the Minister in the event that the entity has concerns about its capacity or capability
- provides the entity with feedback on whether the draft SOI reflects the Minister’s expectations and responds to feedback from the Office of the Auditor-General
- puts systems in place to ensure ongoing review of the entity’s multi-year SOI and annual SPE
Include the entity in relevant policy work
The responsible Minister
- ensures the entity is involved in policy decisions affecting its areas of work
The Crown entity
- contributes to policy discussions as an expert partner
- takes a ‘big sectoral picture’ approach to its policy work
- respects confidences when invited to provide input to policy development
- discusses any disagreement about current policy settings with the Minister in private, to preserve confidence in the entity as part of a politically neutral Public Service and wider public sector
Monitoring department
- exercises good practice in policy design, development, analysis, implementation and evaluation
- advises the entity of its own priorities
- seeks expert input from the entity on policy design and implementation
- ensures the entity’s research capacity is appropriately harnessed to inform portfolio policy development
Involve the sector in designing and implementing policies
The responsible Minister
- recognises the importance of engaging the sector in designing and implementing policy goals and delivery programmes
- seeks feedback from the sector on the entity’s performance
The Crown entity
- actively engages with sector organisations and communities in designing and implementing policy goals and delivery programmes and achieves agreed approaches
- looks across entity/sectoral boundaries to build partnerships necessary to success
Monitoring department
- has systems in place to manage productive engagement with sector stakeholders
- informs the entity of its sector engagement intentions
Build wider relationships to support policy interests
The responsible Minister
- builds critical relationships with the private sector to obtain better results for the entity and the sector
The Crown entity
- works effectively with other government agencies, NGOs and the private sector to advance wider policy interests
Monitoring department
- assists the Minister and/or the entity in engaging with other parties to advance wider policy interests