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The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) is one of the three central agencies responsible for coordinating and managing public sector performance. The others are the State Services Commission and the Treasury.
DPMC's overall area of responsibility is in helping to provide, at an administrative level, the “constitutional and institutional glue” that underlies our system of parliamentary democracy.
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet occupies a unique position at the centre of New Zealand’s system of democratic government. It exists to support the effective conduct of executive government by the Prime Minister, the Governor-General and members of the Cabinet. The department’s principal role is provision of advice, on a daily basis, to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on the wide range of complex issues that confront the Government – particularly its policy priorities. Issues that governments are required to deal with are often complex or pressing, and require well-founded advice and judgement. DPMC also provides impartial advice, through the Clerk of the Executive Council and Government House, to the Governor-General. In addition it plays a role in coordinating and leading the work of government departments and agencies, and other entities as appropriate, to ensure that decision making takes account of all relevant viewpoints and that advice is as coherent and complete as possible.
The Prime Minister is the political leader of the government and the country – and its main public “face”. The Prime Minister is also the chair of the Cabinet, and is responsible for the effective operation of executive government. These roles combine political and executive responsibilities.
DPMC provides assistance to the Prime Minister in three broad categories.
Issues that are the direct responsibility of the Prime Minister
This entails the provision of free and frank advice and support on constitutional issues relating to the conduct of executive government – including during elections and transitions between administrations – and issues associated with the operation of the Cabinet system.
Issues that arise across the full range of government business
DPMC provides a continuous flow of advice to the Prime Minister on major and daily issues, along with oversight of wider government activity and access to information and assessments. DPMC works with central agencies to draw together departments in support of the Government’s priorities, to focus agencies on providing options for action, to ensure implementation of agreed programmes and policies, to drive for enhanced agency performance, and to deal effectively with issues which affect the nation. DPMC also provides the secretariat support for decision making by the Cabinet and its committees.
Administrative support to the Prime Minister
This includes preparation of replies to Parliamentary questions, and dealing with Official Information Act requests and other correspondence. A totally separate body, the Office of the Prime Minister, also advises the Prime Minister: it is the primary point of responsibility for managing political issues and relationships with other political parties and for providing administrative and media support.
The Governor-General occupies a leading position in New Zealand’s constitutional framework. We are a constitutional monarchy. His Excellency serves as the representative of The Queen, New Zealand’s Head of State. His constitutional, ceremonial, and community roles together seek to maintain national unity and foster national identity. The Clerk of the Executive Council and Government House staff support the Governor-General in carrying out his functions. The Queen’s powers and those of her representative, the Governor-General, are almost always exercised only on the advice of Ministers.
DPMC strives to support a high standard of executive decision making by providing quality advice that is timely, responds to the directions set by government, is forward-looking, is cognisant of changing circumstances and emerging issues, and gives assurance that policies are being delivered in an effective and coordinated manner.
To provide this support the department draws on close relationships with other departments and agencies, crown entities, local government, business, iwi, and the wider community.
The overall outcome that DPMC - in conjunction with other agencies - seeks to achieve is:
Good Government, with effective Public Service Support
In achieving this outcome, DPMC has adopted five contributing outcomes that reflect the department’s key streams of work:
The diversity of work contributing to these outcomes is indicative of DPMC's history, structure and the roles of each business unit.
DPMC formally came into existence on 1 January 1990, as a result of a report which recommended establishing structures to provide two separate streams of advice to the Prime Minister; one, a new government department to supply impartial, high quality advice and support to the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), and another, a Prime Minister's Private Office (which is not part of DPMC), to provide personal support and media services, and advice of a party political nature.
Government House was included in the scope of the department in August 1990, after a review of the Governor-General’s support requirements. The External Assessments Bureau became part of DPMC on 1 July 1991.
DPMC is comprised of six business units headed by the Chief Executive, Maarten Wevers.
External Assessments Bureau (EAB):
Domestic and External Security Group (DESG):
Corporate Services Unit (CSU):
Two additional features of the way DPMC is organised are the sometimes sizeable numbers of staff who are seconded from other government departments or outside organisations to work here on a specific project, at the completion of which they depart. DPMC is also commonly called upon to establish Special Units, task forces or reviews which provide advice on a particular issue (or issues) over a finite length of time.