- State Services Commissioner
The State Services Commissioner is the chief executive of
New Zealand 'sState Services Commission and has a range of responsibilities for the Public Service, the State Services and the wider state sector. [ [http://www.ssc.govt.nz/display/document.asp?NavID=59 State Services Commissioner - the Office] , State Services Commission, "Last updated 28/6/2002" (appears to have been updated more recently though)] The position has previously been known as the Public Service Commissioner, Chairman of the Public Service Commissioner, Chairman of the State Services Commission, and Chief Commissioner of the State Services Commission. The current State Services Commissioner isIain Rennie .Background
At the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, New Zealand's
public sector was widely considered to be inefficient and wasteful. The incoming MacKenzie administration launched the Hunt Commission on thecivil service . The Hunt Commission recommended the establishment of a Board of Management under Cabinet to have 'absolute and undisputed power' in 'all matters relating to the control and management of the Service - ... appointments, salaries, promotion, suspensions, dismissals, and indeed everything affecting officers - '.Public Service Act 1912
The Hunt Commission and its recommendations lead to the Public Service Act 1912 and the role of the Public Service Commissioner. The Act and the new Commissioner removed Ministers' direct involvement in appointments and personnel administration, separating the 'political' and 'administrative' functions, both in conduct of the Government's business and in management of the Public Service itself.
tate Services Act 1962
The State Services Act 1962 replaced the Public Service Commissioner with a multi-member Commission comprising a Chairman and Commissioner. This point also marked a culture change towards a focus on political neutrality.
tate Sector Act 1988
The
State Sector Act 1988 reverted back to having a single State Services Commissioner, adding the position of Deputy State Services Commissioner. Ministers were granted some role in the appointments of departmental chief executives. There was some concern at the time that this would revert the system to a pre-1912 state. These fears have not materialised.Following the "Review of the Centre" in 2001, the State Sector Amendment Act (No 2) 2004 and the Crown Entities Act 2004 extended the role of the Commissioner beyond the Public Service to the wider State Services (such as Crown entities, but not
Crown Research Institutes ), and beyond State Services to the wider state sector. [ [http://www.ssc.govt.nz/display/document.asp?DocID=4338 Role of the State Services Commissioner] , State Services Commission, "Last updated 31/3/2008" ]Modern day
The modern State Services Commissioner's role can be seen as the synthesis between the completely independent 1912 Public Service Commissioner (who is responsible to no one, and in turn cannot guarantee the confidence of Ministers) and a hypothetical system where department heads would be politically appointed.
List of State Services Commissioners
References
External links
* [http://www.ssc.govt.nz/display/document.asp?NavID=190 History of the Office of State Services Commissioner] , State Services Commission
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