About DPMC

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Publications ~ Statement of Intent
for the year ending 30 June 2006

Contributing Outcome 2:

Executive Government is well Conducted and Continues in Accordance with Accepted Conventions and Practices

Why this contributing outcome matters

Executive government comprises the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, other ministers of the Crown, and the public service. Continuity in this context has two main focal points:

the ongoing conduct of government business within accepted conventions and practices – that is, the various laws, conventions, principles and procedures that make up the framework within which democratic government is conducted in New Zealand
the smooth transfer of power between successive administrations, prime ministers, ministers, and governors-general.

At the heart of New Zealand’s democratic political system is stable and continuing executive government that is accountable to an elected House of Representatives. New Zealand is one of the longest-running democracies in the world – and a necessary part of this continuity is the smooth transfer of power between successive administrations, prime ministers and ministers following elections. This is particularly so under our proportional representation electoral system, which is likely to result in more complex (and potentially lengthy) government-formation processes.

The New Zealand constitution is not found in one place or document – it is an amalgam of legislation, decisions of the courts, and practices and conventions. Ministers need to have complete trust in the integrity, impartiality, discretion, judgement, and expertise of the Cabinet Office in its role of providing advice and support on the proper conduct of government business within accepted conventions and practices. The major risk in this area for the DPMC is that a lack of understanding – or misunderstandings – about the laws, conventions, principles, and procedures that underpin democratic government in New Zealand could place at risk the continuing operation of executive government within those accepted laws and conventions.

How DPMC makes its contribution

The Cabinet Office is the primary contributor to this outcome. It is the recognised source of expert knowledge on the systems of Cabinet and executive government – and is absolutely scrupulous in maintaining impartiality between administrations, agencies and individual ministers.

Maintaining constitutional propriety and relationships: the Cabinet Office’s most important role under this contributing outcome is to ensure that constitutional procedures, such as the appointment of ministers, are well managed and administered correctly. It does this by providing advice to the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and ministers on constitutional, policy and procedural issues. The Cabinet Office also administers the process for the change of Governor-General.

Key activities for 2005/06 are:

to provide constitutional and procedural advice during the 2005 election – including guidelines on the scope of the government’s actions during the pre-election period, the government-formation process after the election, the role of caretaker governments, and briefings for incoming ministers
to provide administrative support for the change of Governor-General in 2006
to continue the normal range of support services on constitutional matters, such as the appointment of new ministers and advice on the progress and outcomes of the inquiry being conducted by the Constitutional Arrangements Committee.

Communicating key messages: as part of this priority area, the Cabinet Office contributes to a wider awareness and understanding of the structures and processes of government. It does this by informing the public service – and the wider public – about the formal roles, conventions, and workings of the system of executive government. This information needs to be accessible and understandable, and is published in a number of forms – including the Cabinet Manual, the Step by Step Guide, Cabinet Office circulars, and on DPMC’s website www.dpmc.govt.nz.

Some key activities for 2005/06 are:

issuing Cabinet-approved guidance on election-related issues, such as decision making in the pre-election period and the operation of the caretaker convention
ensuring that information about the role of the Governor-General in the post-election period is clearly communicated and easily available.

Working with others

The Cabinet Office within DPMC has the central responsibility for Contributing Outcome 2. In carrying out its functions, it works with the Crown Law Office, the Ministry of Justice, the SSC, and Treasury.

Assessing our progress

The assessment criteria of quality, quantity, timeliness, and cost for the department’s outputs and Statement of Forecast Service Performance will be used to measure our progress towards contributing outcome 2. The specific outputs involved are:

1 – Policy advice and secretariat and co-ordination services.

The Prime Minister, ministers within Cabinet, and other key clients within the public service provide regular feedback on their satisfaction with the services provided. Information on any external reviews or evaluations of particular services or activities will be reported on in our annual report as part of assessing the progress we are making.

CHART 3: Executive Government is well Conducted and Continues in Accordance with Accepted Conventions and Practices

Executive Government is well conducted and continues in accordance with accepted conventions and practices.

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