The information collected from Workforce Data for senior manager composition covers seniority profile, manager metrics and diversity in Public Service leaders.
Seniority profile
As at 30 June 2024, 12.4% of the Public Service workforce were management staff, led by 42 Public Service leaders (40 secretary and chief executive and 2 Deputy Public Service Commissioner positions), 5 of whom were in acting positions.
The latest leader profiles are available here: Who leads the Public Service
In total, there were 1,327 senior managers (tiers 1, 2 and 3), and 6,716 other managers. The remaining 87.6% (57,070) were non-management staff.
Senior manager metrics (tiers 1 to 3)
As at 30 June 2024, there were 1,327 senior managers in the Public Service (defined as the top 3 tiers of managers with chief executives being tier one). This compares to 1,361 senior managers last year.
The percentage of women in the top 3 tiers of senior management was 56.7%, continuing the increases seen throughout the last decade (up from 55.9% last year and 42.0% in 2014), while male representation is 43.0%.
Senior managers reported being 78.5% European, 17.1% Māori, 5.3% Pacific peoples and 3.3% Asian (these add to more than 100% as it includes those with multiple ethnicities). Although, Pacific and Asian managers continue to remain under-represented compared to either the Public Service workforce or the New Zealand population, there has been improvement in representation over the past five-years:
- Māori representation is now 17.1% (up from 16.0% in 2023 and 11.6% in 2019).
- Pacific representation is now 5.3% (up from 5.1% in 2023 and 3.6% in 2019).
- Asian representation is now 3.3% (up from 3.1% in 2023 and 2.4% in 2019).
Annual sick leave usage for senior management was 4.9 days in 2024. This is low compared with the 8.3 days for the other managers group and 10.6 days on average for non-managerial staff. The usage of sick leave by senior management has dropped slightly from the record high seen in 2023 (5.1 days).
Senior leaders data table by agency
Te Pae Turuki | Public Service Leaders Group
Te Pae Turuki Public Service Leaders Group (PSLG) is comprised of senior public servants in the most complex and influential leadership roles. It is about working together and providing strong collaborative leadership across the system. PSLG leaders enable continued innovation to tackle some of the biggest and most complex issues facing New Zealand today.
Members of the PSLG are nominated by chief executives according to role-based criteria that the Commission sets. Nominations are not tier-based. Instead, members must meet one or more of the following criteria:
- is a member of an executive team
- runs a Public Service business for New Zealand or a significant region
- heads a corporate function in a medium or large organisation
- creates high strategic impact, working across larger organisations and, in concert with other organisations
As at 30 June 2024, there were 1,069 members of the PSLG, 49.4% female and 48.9% male (with gender undisclosed for the remainder).
The latest Te Pae Turuki Public Service Leadership Group results are available here: Te Pae Turuki Public Service Leaders Group
Diversity in Public Service leaders
As at 30 June 2024, the 42 Public Service Leaders reported being 78.6% European, 11.9% Māori, 7.1% Asian and 4.8% Pacific peoples (these add to more than 100% as it includes those with multiple ethnicities).
At that same point in time, women held 19 of the 42 Public Service Leader roles, or 45% (down from 54% at the same time in 2023). Current information can be found on the Public Service Leaders page.
The latest leader profiles are available here: Who leads the Public Service