New Zealanders rely on the Public Service to meet their needs with reliable, accessible and efficient services.
The latest Kiwis Count survey results suggest the New Zealand Public Service is doing exactly that.
I'm really pleased to see that trust in the Public Service continues to trend upwards, with 81% of New Zealanders saying they trust public services based on their personal service experience. This is up from 72% in 2012. And 63% of New Zealanders trust the Public Service brand, against 43% in 2012.
The feedback we get from the survey helps government agencies to understand where services are working well and where we need to improve.
We know that responsiveness is key to trust and confidence. Reliability is another factor, particularly in times of national emergency or when a national response is required. On this score, I'm proud of the way public servants have collectively responded to COVID-19 and the challenging operation to evacuate New Zealand and Afghanistan nationals from Afghanistan.
Our Kiwis Count results are consistent with international results.
Our work to earn this trust continues every day. The work the Public Service is doing to mitigate the harms of COVID 19, while continuing to deliver all of our other services is a testament to that.
We also know that levels of trust vary for different communities. Māori and Pacific respondents tend to have lower trust in the Kiwis Count survey. We need to do better here. And we will.
Trust and confidence is something we can never take for granted.
We have to keep working hard to build and maintain it because without public trust we lose our licence to operate.
