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RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Public servants' views on staffing, stress and job satisfaction revealed in new survey
More than four out of five public servants said staffing levels/work volumes was a problem. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Public servants say poor staffing is their biggest barrier to performance, and just 44 percent are confident their colleagues were hired based on merit. The Public Service Census is a voluntary survey carried out by the Public Service Commission this year, following on from the first such survey in 2021. Public Service Minister Judith Collins in May brushed off criticism raised by the Greens over her involvement, which included suggesting questions and wording to the commissioner. The approach taken in the 2025 edition had a much stronger focus on productivity, and removed questions around identity. The results showed 44,737 out of more than 65,000 public servants took part from 40 agencies - a participation rate of 68.5 percent, up from the 63.1 percent in 2021. Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said he was overall encouraged by the results, saying it indicated the public service was performing well - pointing to the more than 90 percent who believed their team was at least moderately successful achieving objectives in the last 12 months. He expected chief executives would make changes in areas where organisations needed to improve, highlighting some of those areas for improvement in a written statement: He said the Commission planned to run the survey again in 2027. More than four out of five public servants said staffing levels/work volumes was a problem, making it the top-rated concern. Some 49 percent said it affected them to a great or very great extent, a further 33 percent said it had somewhat of an effect, with just the remaining 19 percent saying it was very little or not at all a factor. The second-biggest barrier was complicated or unnecessary business processes (37 percent great or very great, 36 percent somewhat, 27 percent very little or not at all), followed by inefficient decision-making - including slow timelines or micromanaging (34 percent, 41 percent). Too many meetings was rated the least problematic, with 52 percent saying it was very little barrier or not at all, placing it behind siloed communication between teams, lack of access to the right tools, agency appetite for risk and innovation, colleagues not having the right skills or motivation, and physical environment. Perhaps unsurprisingly, public servants were generally positive about their work - with high proportions (87 percent) believing they contributed to better outcomes and providing value to taxpayers (80 percent), the vast majority (90 percent) saying they cared how their agency's use of taxpayer funding, and that their manager cared about delivering good value (79 percent). A majority of respondents felt they had more than enough work to do - 23 percent saying they were well above capacity, and 42 percent slightly above capacity, with only 5 percent saying they were available for more work. The vast majority experienced work stress, with 10 percent saying they were always stressed, 34 percent often stressed, and 42 percent sometimes, compared to 11 percent hardly ever and 2 percent never stressed. And while about a third (34 percent) were satisfied or very satisfied with their pay, about half did not or strongly did not think their pay adequately reflected their performance. Nearly all (96 percent) said it was important to them that their work contribute to the common good, with most (78 percent) reporting a sense of accomplishment, and enthusiasm about their job (72 percent), though fewer reported being satisfied in their job (62 percent, down from 69 percent in 2021). Fewer public servants (54 percent) said they had no immediate plans to leave their job compared to 2021 (59 percent), although the 2025 survey did introduce one extra option (want to do a secondment or temporary move in the next 12 months, 9 percent), potentially spreading the results more thinly. The two agencies bucking that trend - with fewer staff planning to leave than in the past - were the Treasury and the National Emergency Management Agency. The top reasons for people to consider leaving their job were a perceived lack of career progression (42.4 percent), followed by pay (39.4 percent), boring work (32.7 percent), poor management (27.8 percent), lack of training/development (26.3 percent), high workload (21.1 percent). Only 71 percent expressed confidence that their organisation was free and frank in our advice to ministers, meaning nearly a third (29 percent) did not have confidence in their ministry to be open and honest with their minister. The organisations scoring the lowest on this metric were the Ministry for Women (54 percent), Ministry of Transport (56 percent), Ministry of Māori Development (59 percent), Oranga Tamariki (60 percent), the Ministry for the Environment (62 percent), Ministry of Education (62 percent), Ministry of Disabled People (63 percent), the Social Investment Agency (66 percent) and the Education Review Office (66 percent). More than 12 percent experienced bullying or harassment in the past year - most of that (9.2 percent) being bullying, 1.6 percent reporting hostility or ridicule because of race, colour, ethnicity or national origin, and 0.8 percent saying they were sexually harassed. Most of the time the offender was a current or former manager, though nearly as many were underlings or colleagues. People with non-binary or multiple genders were more likely to say they faced sexual harassment (1.4 percent) than women (1.1 percent) or men (0.4 percent). Questions about bullying frequency showed that of those who were bullied, 48 percent faced it just a few times over the last year, 15 percent said monthly, 17 percent weekly, and 8 percent daily. Some 40 percent of managers said they did not have the support needed to manage or improve the performance of staff who were not meeting expectations, with leaders at all levels saying managing staff performance was a challenge. And 44 percent said they were confident that in my organisation people get jobs based on merit. Two thirds of employees felt their manager provided them with helpful feedback. About 79 percent said their team had clear objectives, and 84 percent said the team collaborated well, and only 9 percent felt their team was only slightly, or not at all successful in meeting objectives. The proportion who felt they understood their organisation's responsibilities under the Treaty or Te Tiriti was up, at 77 percent compared to 2021's 69 percent, as was the proportion who felt comfortable supporting tikanga in their agency (72 percent, up from 69 percent in 2021). Nearly three quarters (73 percent) said they valued their knowledge of te reo Māori or wished to grow it. The survey showed most (88 percent) were confident in their ability to learn new digital skills, but less than half (42 percent) agreed their organisation took enough advantage of technology. About a third had used AI for work, with 14 percent saying they used it regularly. The 2025 survey included several questions about flexible working, but the commission said those results would be published alongside separate working from home data which was still being collected. This would be released in late August or early September. It avoids confusion if these two sets of data are published together, a spokesperson said. The survey showed a decrease in the number of public servants who identified as rainbow, but the commission said this may reflect a change in the measurement approach. It remains considerably higher than seen in New Zealand's LGBTIQ+ population overall, at 4.9 percent of usually resident adults, according to a Stats NZ 2023 report. It also showed rainbow-identifying public servants were underrepresented at all levels of management, but age was likely to be a factor with rainbow public servants being considerably younger on average than their non-Rainbow colleagues. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
PM doesn't believe coalition subject to more leaks than previous governments
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says public servants who leak to the media are undermining the government, and the public's trust in it. The Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche has issued a directive to public servants to stop leaking sensitive information - a directive which was itself leaked to RNZ . Sir Brian declined to be interviewed by Morning Report on Thursday. The Public Service Association says it doesn't condone leaking, but it wants stronger protections for whistleblowers and more emphasis on free advice . Luxon said there was a lot of government business going through the public service currently and only a small number of leaks which reflected poorly on those who did it. He did not believe the coalition government was experiencing more leaks than previous administrations. New Zealand favoured a politically neutral public service and he would not like to see a switch to the American system where a change of government meant "a wholesale change" of all public servants. "We have many excellent public servants and I just think it tarnishes their reputation and professionalism." The prime minister was asked abut the recent police memo about some changes to their response to some thefts. The memo which was leaked to RNZ resulted in a strong government response and the Police Commissioner announcing the policy would not be enacted . Luxon responded there were other "genuine ways" of raising such issues but if there was a culture where leaking was acceptable it undermined a politically neutral public service. "We're very proud of our public servants and the politically neutral job they do supporting whichever government of the day there is. ....They [Leaks] happen sadly and we deal with it..." PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said she agreed with the prime minister that leaking was unprofessional and public servants must serve the government of the day, even if they disagreed with some of their policies. Fitzsimons said the union did not condone leaking, and people should expect consequences if they did. However, she took issue with Sir Brian's direction that leakers should be sacked. "The Public Service Commissioner cannot impose a blanket approach of dismissing public servants if leaks occur. "The employer needs to go through a proper and fair process, including natural justice, and they must do what is fair and reasonable by looking at all the circumstances at the time the action occurred." She said if staff had concerns about aspects of their work, they should raise matters with their managers. "I don't want people listening to this to get the impression that leaking can be justified in circumstances where it is actually unlawful and is likely to lead to disciplinary outcomes for them because that would be unfair for people to be left with that impression." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Education Ministry asks RNZ to help investigation into leaks
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas The Education Ministry has started an external investigation into leaks - and asked RNZ to help. The ministry shared with RNZ on Wednesday an email to staff expressing deep concern about recent unauthorised disclosures and announcing the investigation by Michael Heron KC. It also invited RNZ to meet with Heron for "a brief chat" about what may have been shared or shown - an invitation that RNZ immediately refused. The message followed RNZ revealing on Wednesday morning it had seen a copy of an email referring to a message Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche sent to staff last week warning against leaks of information. Sir Brian's email was sent on 22 May, the same day RNZ reported that a court injunction granted on 21 May had blocked it from reporting on commercially sensitive information in a pre-Budget document sighted by RNZ. The Education Ministry's email to staff was signed off by acting deputy secretary for education, Rob Campbell. "As the Ministry's Integrity Champion, I am deeply concerned by the recent unauthorised disclosures of confidential documents to a journalist. These anonymous leaks not only harm our organisation but also unfairly create mistrust within our teams and distract from our professionalism and hard work," the message said. "When we have breaches like these, this compromises the integrity of the public service. As a public servant, you have signed up to our code of conduct and a core set of public service principles that set out common standards of behaviour and guide our judgement, choices and actions. This includes being fair, impartial, responsible, and trustworthy in everything we do. "Because of the seriousness of these breaches, an independent external investigation has been commissioned to determine how these occurred and identify those responsible. Michael Heron, KC has been appointed to undertake this investigation, the results of which will be provided directly to the Secretary for Education. We take this matter extremely seriously and will act on the findings of the investigation. "Alongside this investigation, we will be continuing to review the way that information is made available and shared appropriately. This will include looking at our technology environment and our internal processes and policies for raising concerns, such as our Speak Up policy and protected disclosure guidelines. This approach reflects our commitment to our integrity and accountability as public servants." The ministry's email to RNZ said the message "might be of interest given the alignment with some of RNZ's recent reporting". It also suggested a meeting with Heron. "As part of our follow-up, Mr Heron is keen to connect with you (and/or your colleagues) for a brief chat on Wednesday, 4 June if you're available. He's hoping to get a better sense of what may have been shared or shown to you, and would also welcome any general insights you might be able to provide. "Let me know if a time that day could work for you-or if you'd prefer to share anything in writing instead. Appreciate your time and openness." RNZ thanked the ministry for the information and the invitation, which it declined. RNZ Chief News Officer Mark Stevens said the newsroom declined the opportunity to participate in the investigation to ensure the identity of any confidential sources were protected. "The protection of confidential sources is a fundamental tenet of journalism that is not only enshrined in our own Editorial Policy but also captured in the principles of the New Zealand Media Council," he said. RNZ sighted an unprecedented number of confidential Education Ministry documents in the past year. In the past five weeks, it sighted four separate documents related to Budget decisions, three of which concerned plans to cut the Kāhui Ako scheme and divert its $118-million-a-year funding to learning support. The scheme clustered schools together and provided release time and extra pay for about 4000 teachers who led improvement work among the schools. The fourth and most recently-sighted document included commercially sensitive information the government said would damage its ability to engage in collective bargaining, prompting it to seek, and win, an injunction last week preventing publication. Last year, RNZ sighted internal Education Ministry information regarding the rewrite of the Year 7-13 English curriculum and ministry job-cuts and restructuring plans . In the past year RNZ has also sighted confidential internal information from StudyLink and Te Kura (The Correspondence School). Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Crackdown on public service leaks is leaked to RNZ
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche's warning against leaks of information has been leaked. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER A crackdown on public servants leaking information has been revealed in an email leaked to RNZ. RNZ has seen a copy of the email sent by a department head to staff outlining Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche's warning against leaks of information. "He is reminding us all of our responsibility as public servants and that leaking information goes against the core values of the Public Service and must stop. "If individuals within our employment feel strongly on issues, there are mechanisms they can use but leaking of information isn't one of them," the message said. It urged staff who had concerns to take their worries to their boss, or someone they trusted. "If you have a concern about any work you are part of, or aware of something that is causing you concerns, please talk to your manager or someone within the ministry that you feel comfortable providing you with sound advice." Sir Brian confirmed to RNZ he was aiming to put a stop to leaks, and in some cases public servants should be fired for doing so. "I expect public service chief executives to take every possible action to ensure any leak is investigated and where appropriate those responsible are exited from our employment," he said. "Public servants who leak information are undermining the government of the day and are in breach of the code of conduct. We all ultimately pay the price for the unprofessional actions of a few. "This matter is really important to me." The Commissioner's email was sent at 11.35am on 22 May, just hours after an RNZ report about a confidential pre-Budget decision seen by RNZ was halted by court injunction at the government's request just last week. Other recent cases include documents seen by RNZ this month suggesting the government would shut down the $118 million Kāhui Ako programme; more than 100 pages of internal feedback in February over health data team cuts; leaks in December of a report from the Interislanders ferries advisory group ; and leaks relating to the Treaty Principles Bill in September. Green Party public service spokesperson Francisco Hernandez said it was a symptom of a public service that was seeing its advice and evidence ignored "in favour of evidence produced by the private sector and by the tobacco lobby" . "I don't condone it, but I understand ... they're like 'well, if they're going to do this, if they're going to punch down on us, then what recourse do we have other than to actually go to the fourth estate'. "When you ignore principles for good decision making, when you kind of rush through urgency, that leaves officials feeling frustrated and sidelined and obviously leaks aren't good but they are a manifestation of a deeper and unhealthy culture and contempt for democracy that this coalition has nurtured." He said the relationship between the coalition government and the public service was mixed, and pointed to reporting on two Official Information Act responses on the same matter as an example of ministerial "interference" which could contribute. "If public servants are sort of seeing that the ministers are trying to censor advice it's natural for them to feel frustrated and it's natural for them to actually see their advice which is evidence based, try and see the light of day." RNZ has sought a response from the Public Service Minister Judith Collins. Hernandez said the commissioner was just doing his job, but there needed to be balance - that he should also be ensuring ministers respected the neutrality of the public service. Sir Brian also provided a copy of the email he had sent to public sector chief executives, which did not include the suggestion for staff to approach a manager over their concerns. It reads: Hi there, You will have seen the media reports on the various leaks that are occurring in the system. Clearly this is unacceptable and we have to take every action possible to stop it. The unauthorised release of information to third parties goes to the very heart of confidence and trust in our systems and us as public servants. We all ultimately pay the price for the unprofessional actions of a few. Can I please ask you to reinforce within your respective agencies that this behaviour goes against the core values of the Public Service and must stop. If individuals within our employment feel strongly on issues there are mechanisms they can use but leaking of information isn't one of them. Please reinforce the messages and take every action possible to ensure any leak is investigated and where appropriate those responsible are exited from our employment.
