Public service
3.4 “Public service” is the term used to describe all public service departments, departmental agencies, interdepartmental executive boards, and interdepartmental ventures listed in Schedule 2 of the Public Service Act 2020 (together referred to as public service agencies). For the purposes of subparts 2 and 4 of Part 1 of the Public Service Act 2020, Crown agents are part of the public service. The public service is part of the executive branch of government.
Public sector
3.5 “Public sector” includes a broad range of organisations that serve as instruments of the Crown in respect of the Executive Government of New Zealand, including:
- the public service;
- other departments in the executive branch of government that are not part of the public service (such as the New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Defence Force, and the Parliamentary Counsel Office);
- Crown entities;
- the various organisations listed in Schedule 4, and companies named in Schedule 4A, of the Public Finance Act 1989;
- the Reserve Bank of New Zealand;
- organisations that are part of the legislative branch of government, such as the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Parliamentary Service;
- offices of Parliament;
- state-owned enterprises, which are listed in Schedule 1 of the State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986; and
- mixed ownership model companies listed in Schedule 5 of the Public Finance Act 1989.
3.6 The term “state services” continues to be used in legislation to refer to specific organisations, and is defined in the Public Service Act 2020.
3.7 Local government is also generally considered part of the wider public sector, although this manual does not apply to that sector.