The New Zealand Public Service has a duty of stewardship, to look ahead and provide advice on future challenges and opportunities.
Good policy advice is informed by a strategic view on what’s important in the medium to long term – it takes a stewardship perspective. Good advice helps current and successive governments develop and implement their policies. It also supports the long-term interests of the public. Having a long-term perspective means your advice considers future trends, challenges, opportunities, scenarios and assumptions. Scanning the future helps you bring insights into today’s decisions. For example, how will changes to demographics, the climate, technology and social norms impact policy decisions and their outcomes going forward?
Stewardship is one of the principles of the Public Service Act 2020. In promoting stewardship, section 12 of the Public Service Act 2020 requires the public service to consider:
- its long-term capability and its people
- its institutional knowledge and information
- its systems and processes
- its assets
- the legislation administered by agencies.
The Public Service Act 2020 (Schedule 6, clauses 8 and 9) also introduces a new requirement on departmental Chief Executives to publish a long-term insights briefing at least once every three years. These briefings are to explore the medium and long-term trends, risks and opportunities facing New Zealand and the options for responding to these matters. A suite of guidance materials has been developed to support government agencies in developing the Long-term Insights Briefings.
The following resources can help you get a better understanding of stewardship in the context of policy advice and why it’s so important.
Resources
- The Challenges for the Public Service: In pursuit of Better Stewardship
At the Improving Intergenerational Governance symposium, Andrew Kibblewhite, former Head of the Policy Profession, talked about the challenges for the Public Service, and the pursuit of better stewardship.
- Tier 2 Policy Leaders' Network: Creating a Policy Heat Map
The Tier 2 Policy Leaders' Network were joined by the Head of the Policy Profession to identify longer term strategic policy questions.
- Free and Frank Advice
Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission provides guidance on the need for good policy stewardship, which lets us be well-placed to provide free and frank advice to successive governments.
- Foresight for Governance in Singapore
Aaron Maniam talked at a senior leaders’ roundtable on Foresight for Governance in Singapore.
- Future Generations – protecting the interest of future generations, and foresight
The Policy Project co-hosted a roundtable with the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University on Future Generations – protecting the interest of future generations, and foresight. The lead speaker was Marie-Brousseau Navarro from the Office of Future Generations Commissioner in Wales.
- Policy Capability Framework
Use it to assess your agency's policy stewardship capability
- Futures thinking
Tools in the Policy Methods Toolbox
- Policy Quality Framework
Provides information on the importance of taking a stewardship perspective in your advice.