2009 WINNERS
The State Services Commission Award for Excellence in Improving Performance through People
Hawkes’ Bay District Health Board, for ‘Programme Incubator’.
Judging Criteria
The winner of the Award for Excellence in Improving Performance through People will demonstrate the extent that the intervention, led by the human resources/ organisational development group in partnership with line management, demonstrates some or all of the following:
- adjusting human resources strategies to respond to changing needs
- identifying critical human resources metrics and using these to inform decision-making
- identifying new business strategies
- understanding/addressing the talent needs of the organisation
- identifying issues before they affect the organisation
- developing the next generation of leaders
- demonstrating how the human resources/ organisation development group can best support organisational performance
- actively supporting senior managers in some/all the above points
Judges Comments
Recognising the demographic divergence between health workforce and general population for Māori and Pacific people, and the pending shortfall in the health sector workforce, this was an effort to engage senior secondary school students and encourage them to work in the sector. It is an imaginative provision of experiential learning on a sustained basis, using health professionals from the DHB in that process, to interest young Māori and Pacific people - usually from low decile schools - in careers in the sector. It appears to be having excellent early results.
The Leadership Development Centre Award for Excellence in Managerial Leadership
Career Services, for ‘Project Aspire-- The Leadership Capability Programme’.
Judging Criteria
The winner of the Award for Excellence in Managerial Leadership will demonstrate the extent that the organisational group or work unit:
- are responsible for dramatic or sustained improvements in performance, while building organisational capability; and/or
- sustains performance under prolonged pressure or stress, in a way that enhances organisational capability; and/or
- manages change beyond the first round effects through to a demonstrably higher level of performance and capability; and/or
- demonstrates strong adaptive ability to ensure effective performance in different contexts over time; and/or
- can point to positive impacts on organisational culture; and/or
- demonstrates commitment to a style of leadership that engages and empowers others, especially those with high potential for leadership; and/or
- fosters the development of leadership within the organisation.
Judges Comments
Project Aspire is a leadership development programme designed to raise the capacity of senior managers to tackle the organisation’s major strategic challenge: to provide lifelong career services to all New Zealanders The organisation demonstrated a clear vision of growing the organisational capability. Actions decided on (training, mentoring, role rotation etc were undertaken with commitment and energy. Results from client satisfaction and staff engagement surveys show the benefits in increasing levels of satisfaction and engagement, in the latter case far above current public sector norms.
The Te Puni Kōkiri Award for Excellence in Crown-Māori Relationships
Department of Labour, for ‘Manaakitanga i o tatou marae (Taking care of our marae)’
Judging Criteria
The winner of the Award for Excellence in Crown- Māori Relationships will demonstrate an example of a good relationship between an organisation and a specific Māori group, or with respect to the organisation’s relationships with Māori generally, in terms of:
- commitment to the relationship with Māori, undertaken in good faith and with good intent
- generating a high degree of trust and goodwill from Māori toward the organisation
- achieving a reciprocal relationship, with each party seeking to understand the viewpoint, circumstances, capability and operating environment of the other, and an ability to compromise when required
- employing staff with the requisite experience, skill and empathy to work with the organisation’s Māori stakeholders, and encouraging staff in their responsiveness to Māori.
- evaluating the organisation’s performance in its relationships with Māori and providing an avenue for disagreement and complaint.
Judges Comments
This entry involves a public sector agency working together with a non-public sector agency (a marae). The project was initiated by a group of DoL Māori employees who, with the full support of DoL management, resulted in an effective way of applying national regulatory requirements on a marae in a way that acknowledged and respected Māori tikanga and enhanced the Crown Māori relationship. It is an example of how, through mutual respect, trust, and goodwill, a strategic vision at the national level – to build sustainable relationships with Māori, can be implemented on the ground to achieve positive results.
The Microsoft Award for Excellence in Networked Government
Ministry of Economic Development, for the ‘Insolvency Law Reform Implementation Project’
Judging Criteria
The Award for Excellence in Networked Government recognises the extent that the project or organisation:
- demonstrates the smart and cost-effective use of networks and information and communication technology to achieve government outcomes
- demonstrates improvement in the integration of information, service delivery and government processes across agencies to ensure that the organisation is responsive, and citizen-centric
- demonstrates the principle of ‘no wrong door’ – that is any New Zealander accessing government services will be referred appropriately to the organisation best able to address their concerns
- demonstrates access to service anywhere, anytime and any channel
Judges Comments
The reform of Insolvency law in 2006 provided the opportunity for an integrated set of services for debtors in problem situations, ranging from support for consumer and budget advisers to formal insolvency processes. The project provides consistent case management, online services to debtors and businesses e.g. online filing and access to account details, as well as support and advice from a call centre and regional offices. The introduction of these integrated processes has enabled the Insolvency Service to deal with a workload which has increased sharply as the recession developed, with no increase in resources. Feedback from private sector users has been very positive.
The Russell McVeagh Award for Excellence in Working Together for Better Services
This category drew the largest number of entries. Both because of the number but also the quality of entries, the judges have decided to award two winners in this category
Ministry of Social Development, for ‘Linwood Community Link’
New Zealand Police and the Porirua City Council, for the ‘Safer Porirua’ project
Judging Criteria
The Award for Excellence in Working Together for Better Services recognises the extent that the project or organisation:
- demonstrates joint outcomes and other shared accountabilities across clusters of agencies
- enhances government’s engagement with communities and citizens to better understand a complex problem
- demonstrates the redesign and delivery of accessible and responsive services for the diversity of ethnic and social groups in our communities
- delivers tangible benefits to New Zealand and New Zealanders.
Judges Comments
‘Linwood Community Link’ and ‘Safer Porirua’ were the two leading contenders in this category. Both projects are visionary, involve multiple agencies and community groups working together with individuals and families, and are generating results. They serve as a practical and useful example to others and tell a good, heart warming story. Both involve decisions to do things differently and display a willingness to break out from old ways of working in transformative ways.
Linwood Community Link
Linwood Community Link is a practical application of the Ministry of Social Development’s Integrated Service Response model, which was also shortlisted as a finalist in this category. The Integrated Service Response is the model for working together with local NGOs and across departments in the social service sector to provide services to meet the complex needs of some clients. Linwood is the first prototype of this model, very much bottom up - and has the advantage of being practical and tangible. It represents a proven application of a great concept. The new collaborative service approach is transformative and already generating positive results.
Safer Porirua
The Safer Porirua project was a cross-agency collaborative effort to achieve the outcome of accreditation of Porirua City as an international safe community under the World Health organisation framework. The scope of the initiatives covering all dimensions of safety, and the range of organisations involved, is impressive.
The heart of the project is effectively an umbrella steering group which works to identify and support specific projects that contribute to a safer Porirua. There are lots of projects, many of which would no doubt have taken place without the Safer Porirua collaborative group, but the benefit of the umbrella group is to pull together senior people who can make things happen and then provide specific sponsorship / assistance / trouble shooting as needed.
The Talent2 Award for Excellence in Public Sector Media Coverage
There were very few entries in this category. After considering the entries received, the judges have decided not to make any award for 2009.
Judging Criteria
The Media Award is to be given to a media organisation or an individual reporter upon the nomination of a public sector organisation. The award will be judged on the extent to which the news article, programme or other media treatment:
- is balanced and informative
- raises the level of debate
- constitutes part of a consistent record of excellent coverage of public sector activity
The Prime Minister’s Award for Public Sector Excellence
New Zealand Police and the Porirua City Council, for the ‘Safer Porirua’ project
Judging Criteria
The Prime Minister’s Award winner was selected from the winners of the first five Awards above (i.e. the media award winner is not eligible for the supreme award). The Prime Minister’s Award recognises:
- outstanding achievement in the project nominated
- a sustained commitment to excellence
- vision, innovation and results in public sector management
- continuous improvement in services to New Zealanders
Judges Comments
The judges were very impressed by what has been achieved in Porirua -- by the commitment to working across agencies, levels of government and with community groups, and by the strong sense of community ownership that has been generated. The underlying philosophy of this project is to get the community owning problems so they then own and are part of the solutions. The approach is being followed and picked up in other regions in New Zealand. Innovation is unleashed, not so much at the steering group level, but by providing cover and support to the specific projects that sit beneath it. The result is one of many flowers blooming.