Note: This site's content is accessible to all versions of every browser. However, this browser may not support basic Web standards, preventing the display of our site's design details. We support the mission of the Web Standards Project in the campaign encouraging users to upgrade their browsers.
The 2005 General Election, which was held in September, was a major focus for the Department of
the Prime Minister and Cabinet during the past year. Advice and support was provided on a range
of policies and procedures around the election itself, and in the period before election day there was
intensive preparation to support the formation of whichever new Government would take office.
The Clerk of the Executive Council and the Cabinet Office were closely involved in providing advice and support to the Prime Minister as she concluded various aspects of the government-formation process. The Policy Advisory Group co-ordinated briefings to the incoming government on policy issues and matters for early decision.
During the past year, the department was also called upon to support the selection process for the new Governor- General, Judge Anand Satyanand, in succession to Dame Silvia Cartwright, whose term ended on 4 August 2006. Judge Satyanand assumed his vice-regal responsibilities on 23 August.
These two aspects of the department’s activities over the last twelve months underline the key role DPMC plays at the heart of New Zealand’s constitutional democracy, supporting the continuation of executive government within accepted practices and conventions. Smooth transitions of executive authority, within the bounds of the law and the accepted norms of our democratic traditions, are central to maintaining confidence in our political system and institutions, and protecting New Zealanders’ way of life.
Following the swearing-in of the new Government in
October, the Cabinet Office co-ordinated the induction
of new members of the Cabinet as they assumed their
responsibilities. The Policy Advisory Group engaged with
the Prime Minister to ensure that the new Government’s
policy priorities were clearly understood and communicated
to departments. An inter-departmental officials’ process
was launched to support the Prime Minister and senior
ministers in a discussion on how to lift New Zealand’s
economic performance.
The Prime Minister has enunciated three themes to guide the government’s ongoing work: economic transformation; families – young and old; and national identity. With its partner central agencies, the Treasury and the State Services Commission, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has been given an ongoing role in supporting the ministers who lead each of the three themes and also the three departmental chief executives who co-ordinate support around these themes for the lead ministers.
On the broader policy front, the Policy Advisory Group has strengthened its role in support of the Prime Minister, and has taken an active role in leadership and support of cross-government policy initiatives across a diverse and wide range of issues.
The Domestic and External Security Group (DESG) faced a number of challenges during the year, although – fortunately – there were no major natural calamities on the scale of previous years. In light of the growing risk of an international avian influenza pandemic, DESG and the Policy Advisory Group led an intensive programme of cross-government activity to support the Ministry of Health in developing a national pandemic preparedness plan. This work engaged numerous central government agencies, along with local government, and involved extensive consultations with private sector and volunteer organisations, particularly infrastructure providers. Within six months of the launch of the process, a revised draft of a Pandemic Action Plan had been drawn up and considered by ministers, and released for public consultation. The plan remains a work in progress, and continues to be revised in light of ongoing international developments in avian influenza. New Zealand has also participated in a range of international forums, including within the Asia-Pacific region, on how to prepare for and mitigate the risk of an influenza pandemic. The New Zealand Plan, as prepared thus far, has received favourable comment internationally and is being seen as a model for other nations.
DESG has worked with the Ministry of Civil Defence Emergency Management in handling civil defence emergencies that have arisen, such as the heavy snows that fell in mid and south Canterbury in June 2006, and the flooding in the lower North Island in June 2006, and has co-ordinated and participated in various exercises to test New Zealand’s preparedness for a range of emergencies.
The department, through ODESC (Officials’ Committee for Domestic and External Security Co-ordination) and DESG, also co-ordinated New Zealand’s responses to loss of law and order in the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste in May of this year. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) provided the framework for managing the deployment of additional New Zealand military and police contingents when rioting erupted in the wake of the Solomon Islands’ general election and the swearing-in of a new prime minister. New Zealand also joined Australia, Malaysia and Portugal in deploying troops in Timor Leste at the urgent request of its government, following the collapse of law and order and effective governmental authority there. A small police contingent was despatched somewhat later, to bolster the effectiveness of the New Zealand military presence. The duration of New Zealand’s presence in both countries is still not clear, but it is expected that there will be a need for external assistance for some considerable time yet – including, in the case of Timor Leste, possible assistance through the United Nations.
In last year’s report, I noted how DPMC, along with Treasury and the State Services Commission, had agreed a joint outcome for guiding our work. Efforts to improve collaboration and alignment between the three central agencies have continued this year. To give further impetus to this work, the three departments proposed that the scope for improving their contribution to the work of the wider public service be considered specifically, as part of the government’s expenditure reviews launched in March. This work is currently underway, led by a team of experienced external advisers, and a report to ministers is expected in the first few months of the new planning year.
The unauthorised disclosure by a departmental employee of a classified Cabinet paper was an unconscionable lapse. The behaviour of this staff member caused significant difficulties for the Prime Minister and the Government, and subjected Cabinet ministers and parts of the public service to close media and public attention.
The unauthorised disclosure of the Cabinet paper was an unwelcome test of the department’s values and character. The leak itself was quite out of character for the department and its staff. I have been gratified and encouraged by the determination of staff to rebuild confidence in every aspect of the department’s role.
In the wake of this event, an independent review of departmental processes for handling confidential information was commissioned. Mr David Henry found departmental processes were essentially robust, but made some valuable recommendations for strengthening them further – including in relation to credit and criminal checks for new staff, ongoing security-awareness training, and internal office procedures for handling classified papers.
In addition to the specific measures generated above, we have taken further steps over the year to strengthen departmental systems of information management and technology support for staff. The department has committed to joining the Government Shared Network, a government initiative to build a high-speed secure electronic network for data transmission across the core public service. This will provide benefits to the department itself, and also to other agencies wishing to access material.
The department was responsible for meeting expenses associated with the Taito Phillip Field inquiry, which was carried out by Dr Noel Ingram QC and whose findings were released publicly in July 2006. The inquiry was complex and ran for longer than the department had originally anticipated. Consequently the department sought Cabinet approval for additional expenses under imprest supply late in the year to meet the final costs.
The Governor-General, Dame Silvia Cartwright, and Mr Cartwright represented New Zealand at constitutional commemorations in Vanuatu and the Cook Islands, and undertook two state visits to Vietnam and Korea. In May and June this year, state visits to Ireland and Greece and a series of farewell calls in London marked the end of what has been an intensive programme of overseas assignments for the Governor-General.
Maarten Wevers CNZM
Chief Executive