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Section 01
Kupu whakataki Introduction
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Section 02
Te Noho Taiapa Political Neutrality
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Section 03
Tohutohu Hāngai Free and Frank Advice
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Section 04
Kopounga Whai-painga Merit-based Appointments
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Section 05
Kāwanatanga Tuwhera Open Government
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Section 06
Kaitiakitanga Stewardship
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Appendix
Rārangi kupu Glossary
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Appendix
Rārangi kupu mō te reo Māori Te reo Māori glossary
We act in a politically neutral manner.
What is political neutrality?
Political neutrality is about serving New Zealand’s democratically elected government to the best of our professional abilities, irrespective of our own personal political opinions.
A politically neutral and professional public service was first introduced through the Public Service Act 1912. It has remained a fundamental principle of our system of government since then.
Why is political neutrality important?
Political neutrality is the foundation upon which:
| a) |
We serve current and future governments. We maintain the capability and institutional memory that allows us to serve successive governments over time. Political neutrality preserves their ability to serve current and future governments, irrespective of their political composition. |
| b) |
We maintain the trust and confidence of Ministers and the Government and help them to develop and implement their policies. Ministers must have confidence that we will provide trusted service to New Zealand and will not use our positions to pursue our own political interests or objectives. Being politically neutral helps us to maintain the distinction between the work of Ministers in making decisions and advocating for policies, and our work in providing advice and delivering services. |
| c) |
We build and maintain the trust and confidence of the public in the Public Service as an institution. The public needs to know that regardless of which political party or parties make up Government, the Public Service will continue to perform its function for New Zealand. To prevent this trust from being undermined, we need to be careful to remain politically neutral in the public statements we make and the actions we take on behalf of our agencies. |
What are our roles?
Our leaders have a responsibility to ensure that they and the agencies they lead uphold the principle of political neutrality. We need to support our leaders in performing that duty, and each of us needs to make sure that we do not act in a way that would undermine the principle.
These obligations do not generally prevent us from being politically active in our private lives. Expressing our personal political opinions outside of work in our own time is unlikely to undermine the principle of political neutrality, provided that we do not:
• represent or give the impression that we represent our agency; or
• disclose or utilise confidential government information.
For those of us who are senior public servants or who work closely with Ministers, additional caution is required and is outlined in the practical guidance section.