19 November 2000

State Services Minister Trevor Mallard today announced the members of the advisory board that will assist the Government to set values and expectations for State servants under the Labour/Alliance Government.

The State Sector Standards Board will meet for the first time in Wellington tomorrow. Its membership is:

- Mr Kerry McDonald (chair) the executive director of Comalco New Zealand and the chairman of the Bank of New Zealand.

- Ms Angela Foulkes, former secretary of the Council of Trade Unions.

- Mr John Martin, senior lecturer in public policy at Victoria University. Mr Martin was an assistant Secretary to the Treasury (1975-1980), the director of the New Zealand Planning Council (1980), and a Deputy Director-General of Health (1981-1988).

- Ms Rangimarie Parata Takurua, former group manager and acting general manager at Ngai Tahu Group Management. Ms Parata Takurua has also worked for the Maori Trust Office, the Maori Development Corporation, and the Ngai Tahu Maori Trust Board.

- Mr Elmar Toime, the chief executive of New Zealand Post.

- Mr Jim Turner, formerly the deputy general secretary of the Public Service Association. Mr Turner was also a senior official in the Department of Trade and Industry in the 1970s.

“The willingness of high-calibre people to be members of the board underlines how important it is to maintain high standards in the State sector," Trevor Mallard said.

“The members of the board have years of practical experience in running organisations. They understand the dilemmas that organisations and workers face every day in trying to serve New Zealanders.

“I am confident that they will provide the Government with practical, workable proposals.”

Trevor Mallard said one of the board's first jobs will be to draft a statement of the Government expectations of the State sector and the priorities that departments and agencies will observe in responding to citizens.

"The standards will reflect the Government’s expectations about the careful use of resources. It will also underline the need for collaborative behaviour in the State sector. It will recognise that the State sector is a single entity dedicated to serving New Zealanders, not a disparate group of organisations that have a common ‘owner’.

"I also expect the board to advise on ways in which government agencies can manage standards issues to meet Government’s expectations and it will provide me with an annual report on the ethos of the State sector. The report will review events and advise me potential measures to promote standards in the State sector," Trevor Mallard said.

Trevor Mallard said he hoped to have the statement of expectations in place early in 2001.

Ends

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