Preface

The Government themes of economic transformation, families - young and old, and national identity describe what this Government wants, and provide the context for much of the work that will be undertaken by the State Services Commission (SSC) and other government agencies in 2006/07.

Legislative changes in 2004 broadened the SSC's role, and the subsequent introduction of the Development Goals in 2005 have resulted in the SSC working across the State Services in new ways. The work programme associated with the Development Goals gives effect to Government's themes by describing how the State Services will go about delivering on those aims. The SSC also continues to make a difference to the performance of the State Services through its statutory roles of appointing and performance management of Public Service chief executives, and through its stewardship of standards of behaviour and conduct in the State Services

In 2005/06 the SSC settled into its new organisational structure, which was created to better support its new priorities. In 2006/07 we expect the SSC to focus on lifting productivity and delivering clear leadership to the State Services.

The SSC has also begun work on developing evaluative measures to chart progress towards the Development Goals, the 2007 milestones, and, ultimately, the 2010 milestones. Achievement of these milestones will assist the State Services to better serve the Government and meet the needs of New Zealanders.

This Statement of Intent shows how the SSC will go about its work. It describes the nature and scope of the SSC's functions, describes what the SSC is trying to achieve and why (and how it will go about doing this) and describes the main measures and standards (financial and non-financial) that the SSC intends to use to assess its progress.

As the Responsible Minister I am satisfied that this Statement of Intent is consistent with the policies and performance expectations of the Government.