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DPMC has four roles – to lead, advise, support, and co-ordinate. As well as providing impartial high-quality advice and support to the Executive (the Prime Minister, the Governor-General, and the Cabinet), DPMC is required at times to lead on specific areas of work. It also helps co-ordinate the efforts of departments so that decision making takes account of all relevant viewpoints and 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 Cabinet, and is responsible for the effective operation of collective government. These roles combine political and executive responsibilities.
DPMC provides three kinds of direct support to the Prime Minister:
An important part of this support is for constitutional issues relating to the conduct of executive government – including the formation of government and transitions between administrations – and issues associated with the operation of the Cabinet system.
As the political head of the government, the Prime Minister must have an overview of government activity and access to information on any and all issues that arise. DPMC works with the rest of the public service to achieve this, co-ordinating activity where necessary. For example, it works with the other central agencies and with key departments to ensure that the government’s sustainability initiatives and its three priority themes (economic transformation; families – young and old; and national identity) are supported.
This includes services such as preparing 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 and is the primary point of responsibility for managing political issues and relationships with other political parties.
DPMC also supports the Governor-General in carrying out his functions. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the Queen is New Zealand’s Head of State; but her powers and those of her representative, the Governor-General, are almost always exercised only on the advice of ministers. The Governor-General is therefore a significant figure in the constitutional framework, with constitutional, ceremonial, and community roles that together build and foster our national identity and unity.
A great deal of DPMC’s activities focus on facilitating government decision making at a strategic and operational level. To achieve this, the department relies on close relationships with other departments and agencies and – depending on the issue – on local government, business, and the community.