The Productivity Commission was an Independent Crown Entity with a legislated purpose to advise government on improving productivity “… in a way that is directed to supporting the overall wellbeing of New Zealanders”.
Sadly, such advice was such a threat to the coalition Government that we were disestablished by legislation passed under urgency. The urgency is doubly perplexing given we were a purely advisory body with no decision-making or policy implementation powers.
Unfortunately the Commission was seen as a ‘nice-to-have’ archetypical back-office service not meeting front-office demands. And so we were sitting ducks. But what threat did we really pose? If the government genuinely desires evidence-based policy, we would not have been a target.
The myth of the "back-office"
It remains a mystery to many how the division between back office and front office is drawn. The back-office/front-office delineation is a purely arbitrary distinction, devoid of any understanding as to how evidence-based policy is designed, implemented and delivered.
Delivery of quality services requires good policy work. Implementing a social investment lens for some spending requires extracting data from a range of sources and making informed inferences from it. The so-called benefit-cost assessments, seemingly indispensable to business cases, require expertise in costings, appraisals and risk analysis.
The demise of the Productivity Commission reflects New Zealand’s lack of appetite for expert data analysis, accompanied by well-researched evidence-based policy recommendations. Instead we have an unhealthy (and unrealistic) demand for quick-fix solutions delivering immediate results.
Meeting 21st century challenges
The challenges we face this century call for more strategic, informed, and systemic cross-silo responses. Papatūānuku is overheating. There are lasting (but not well understood) impacts from a global pandemic, while disadvantage is being embedded across generations. Geo-political tensions are rife, and people are feeling increasingly disconnected from the centres of economic power and decision-making. Social cohesion and businesses’ licence to operate – for so long taken for granted – are now visibly threadbare.
Recognising and responding to these influences require shifts in thinking. Arbitrarily defined back and front office silos do not enable the critical knowledge, expertise and integration across all office functions that are required.
Now, more than ever, we need to talk truth to power and provide the free and frank advice that has been the hallmark of the public service. Maintaining the confidence of ministers is not the primary role for the public service. Our primary duty is to serve the individuals, whānau, and communities of Aotearoa today and tomorrow.
