Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

established, and has lowered accountability for outcomes by lowering reporting capability
and the ability to respond strategically to reporting results.
Labour will ensure that the public service core capacity is rebuilt to enable it to be
able to do the job its needs to: with quality, with resources, with ability to draw on
whatever expertise is needed.
Making public services more responsive
These days, citizens expect services of all sorts to be responsive to their needs. When they
have ideas or suggestions for change in most areas of their lives, they expect to be listened
to.
Yet, many people have no sense of the value of public services and do not think they have
any ownership of them, or ability to influence them.
Labour will expand meaningful community involvement in the development,
management and evaluation of public services, with responsiveness a key
requirement for all agencies.
Readers should also refer to Labour‟s ICT policy, which includes a range of Open
Government and Open Data commitments that will help make public services more
responsive.
Building a career public service
Working in public service should be an exciting, satisfying and rewarding experience that
attracts the best and brightest young New Zealanders, giving them a way of expressing their
support for and belief in New Zealand and its people.
In too many parts of the public service though, this is not currently the case. Given the
importance of public services to the community and to building New Zealand‟s future, this
needs to be turned around.
Labour will work with public service leadership, workers and unions to facilitate
career path development both within and across agencies, including encouraging
secondments, sabbaticals and so on.
Part of developing a quality, career public service is making sure that working conditions are
at a suitable level to retain skilled people and give them the chance to develop successful
careers.
The Partnership for Quality, negotiated between the PSA and the Government last decade,
recognised the leadership role that the public service has to offer in terms of quality of
employment, in quality of community and public services, in health and safety employment
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