There are lots of ways for you to connect with your policy colleagues across the New Zealand Public Service and overseas.
On this page:
International policy community
New Zealand policy community
The Policy Project’s newsletter
- October 2024 newsletter – stay up to date with developments in the policy community with our latest newsletter.
- Subscribe to Policy Project newsletters – visit this link to subscribe.
Policy forums
The Policy Project regularly holds policy forums for policy managers and principal policy analysts and advisors. These forums cover the Policy Project’s tools and frameworks, best practice, and policy topics of interest across the Public Service. Recent forums have included:
- developing quality Cabinet papers
- using population impact assessment tools
- applying the Policy Quality Framework, Development Pathways Tool, Ministerial Policy Satisfaction Survey and Guidance for central government engagement with local government.
Networks and Communities of Practice
The Policy Project supports a number of networks and communities of practice across the public sector that provide an opportunity for the policy community to practise policy methods, share expertise, and collaborate on projects.
They include:
- New Zealand Behavioural Insights Community of Practice is a group of behavioural insights practitioners and those interested in behavioural insights. The group shares expertise, collaborates on projects, and promotes the use of behavioural insights to support robust policy outcomes. Email [email protected] to be included in future emails and events. You can also read the latest Behavioural Insights Community of Practice newsletter. View presentations from previous events run by the Behavioural Insights Community of Practice.
- Service Design Network is an informal network of design thinking practitioners and those interested in design thinking. The network shares knowledge, builds capability in design thinking, and supports collaboration and best practice. Email Ben Briggs at [email protected] to be included in future emails and events.
- Strategic Futures Group is a group of foresight practitioners and those interested in foresight. The forum provides an opportunity for members to practice foresighting, build capability and apply futures as a discipline into public sector activities. Email Cathy Swanson at [email protected] to be included in emails and events.
- The Policy Training Network is a group of policy training champions from across the Public Service who share information, best practice and course materials critical to good policy-making. Every agency is represented on the network, so find your agency contact to learn more about the Policy Training Network, or email us on [email protected].
In addition, other government networks you may wish to connect with include:
- Government Economics Network promotes the better use of economics in the public sector in New Zealand. It caters to economists and non-economists through a range of events and training opportunities focused on using economics in policy advice.
- Government Legal Network is a network of lawyers across the New Zealand public sector. It offers a shared pathway of legal expertise, professional development, and services to the Crown and New Zealanders.
- Government Analytics Network is a community of practice for New Zealand public servants working with data. The group provides opportunities for learning and sharing good practice, and linking people and their work to the broader government data analytics community.
International policy community
The Policy Project has built links to its counterparts in other jurisdictions, particularly Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Australian policy professionals
There are more than 7000 policy advisors in the Australian Public Service. Their vision is to work together to deliver great policy advice to create better outcomes for all Australians. A cross-agency team was set up in 2018 to support the delivery of great policy advice. The team works with policy professionals and through networks to test thinking and to try new approaches and ways of working.
They have an online Policy Hub to support people to deliver great policy advice. It includes a growing number of tools, processes, best practice methodologies, and learning opportunities sourced from across the Australian Public Service and beyond. Keep an eye out for resources from New Zealand’s own Policy Project when exploring the Australian Policy Hub.
They have also co-designed with practitioners a model of great policy advice: Introduction to delivering great policy. It defines the four core elements that make up great policy advice and the underpinning foundations for readiness that need to be in place.
Canadian policy community
The Canadian policy community is an inclusive and cross-functional community comprising policy-makers from across departments and agencies. Their common purpose is to be modern, relevant and responsive in how they work to address the needs of Canadians. A small Policy Community Partnership Office was set up in 2017 to help deliver supports for the policy community.
They have what’s called ‘The Conference-in-a-Box’, which provides materials to help people organise a mini-conference with colleagues on policy-making topics, such as how might we rethink the policy cycle. ‘The Conference-in-a-Box’ is designed for practising, learning, and sparking conversations about policy-making. The materials include recordings from Canada’s annual policy community conference.
Canada also has a collection of articles on new policy instruments and approaches. Here you can find information on some of the newer policy approaches and examples of applying these in a government context. They also offer a cross-functional policy mobility program for public servants in Canada to experience and understand all aspects of the policy cycle.
United Kingdom Policy Profession
The United Kingdom Policy Profession is part of the Civil Service and is made up of over 18,000 civil servants working in the United Kingdom who recognise themselves as policy professionals.
Like New Zealand, our UK counterparts have a Head of the Policy Profession and a framework for describing a professional development pathway called the Policy Profession Standards. The Policy Profession Standards describe the full breadth of knowledge needed by a good policy-maker, covering 18 skill and knowledge areas under three themes – evidence, politics, and delivery.
The standards provide a guide for personal, professional and career development and set out three levels of capability:
- Level 1 – Identify and attain the working-level knowledge required to operate effectively in a policy environment.
- Level 2 – Progress from awareness to an active demonstration of policy-making skills.
- Level 3 – Demonstrate you are fully competent at a high level in the relevant skills and also a leader of exemplary behaviours across the Civil Service.
The UK Policy Profession has a professional development programme that supports learning opportunities in the Policy Profession Standards. The core curriculum is set out in a yearly Prospectus and provides a mix of online learning modules and face-to-face courses and workshops. The UK Policy Profession also offers an apprenticeship programme for those looking to start a career in policy or who are in the early stages of their career.
UK Policy Lab
The UK Policy Lab is a small team set up in 2014 as part of the Civil Service Reform plan to make policy-making more open. The team sits within the Cabinet Office but serves the whole of government, primarily responding to requests from policy teams.
It uses design, data, and digital tools, and acts as a testing ground for policy innovation across government. The UK Lab’s support is best suited to tackling intractable, complex, systemic policy problems that require fresh thinking and can lead to potentially transformative solutions.
You can read about the work of the UK Policy Lab and see its Open Policy Making Toolkit.