MEDIA RELEASE – Embargoed and confidential until 8pm Thursday 18 June 2009 please

“Collaboration Creates a Safer Community and Wins Top Public Sector Excellence Award”

IPANZ Gen-i Public Sector Excellence Awards 2009 winners announced

Wellington, 18 June 2009 – A New Zealand Police and Porirua City Council project to make Porirua a safer community has received the top award at this year’s IPANZ Gen-i Public Sector Excellence Awards. The ‘Safer Porirua’ project won the category for excellence in working together for better services, as well as the supreme award, called the Prime Minister’s Award.
The ‘Safer Porirua’ project is a collaboration between the New Zealand Police, Porirua City Council and other community agencies to achieve World Health Organisation accreditation for Porirua as an International Safe Community. Porirua was awarded this status in 2008. There is already evidence of improvements in safety outcomes since the initiative began in 2005, including an improved perception of safety, the lowest crime rates in the Wellington region and a reduced rate of serious and fatal road injuries.
The public sector Awards programme, which was launched in 2008 by the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ) and ICT leader Gen-i, acknowledges and celebrates excellence across public sector agencies from central and local government.

Winners were named in five categories, each designed to highlight significant public sector initiatives making a positive difference to communities. Projects were judged by an independent panel looking at excellence in terms of vision, innovation and results.

At the Award’s ceremony held at the Wellington Town Hall on Thursday evening 18 June, the winners in each category were announced and the Prime Minister, Hon. John Key, presented the overall Prime Minister’s Award to winners New Zealand Police and the Porirua City Council.

This year’s winners are:

The Prime Minister’s Award for Public Sector Excellence
• New Zealand Police and the Porirua City Council, for ‘Safer Porirua’

The State Services Commission Award for Excellence in Improving Performance through People
• Hawkes Bay District Health Board, for ‘Programme Incubator’

The Leadership Development Centre Award for Excellence in Managerial Leadership
• Career Services, for ‘Project Aspire - The Leadership Capability Programme’

The Te Puni Kōkiri Award for Excellence in Crown-Māori Relationships
• Department of Labour, for ‘Manaakitanga I Ō Tātou Marae (Taking care of our marae)’

The Microsoft Award for Excellence in Networked Government
• Ministry of Economic Development, for the ‘Insolvency Law Reform Implementation Project’

The Russell McVeagh Award for Excellence in Working Together for Better Services
• Ministry of Social Development, for ‘Linwood Community Link’
• New Zealand Police and the Porirua City Council, for ‘Safer Porirua’

Ross Tanner, President of IPANZ, said that the Awards celebrate those projects and organisations that make a difference to the daily lives and wellbeing of New Zealanders, and highlight and reward significant public sector achievements.

"There are some outstanding programmes and activities undertaken in the public sector. It is important that we recognise our ‘stars’, to motivate and encourage others in the sector into making a difference as well," said Mr Tanner.

Chris Quin, CEO of Gen-i, said that as principal sponsor of the Awards for the second year running, Gen-i is delighted to support an initiative that recognises and encourages excellence throughout the public sector.

“We’re really proud to be sponsoring these awards, which showcase great achievements across the public sector. We’ve seen some fantastic examples of how finalists are achieving new levels of collaboration and cooperation, both within and across agencies, to transform their delivery of services and make a real difference to people’s lives,” said Mr Quin.

Price Waterhouse Coopers, the State Services Commission, the Leadership Development Centre, Te Puni Kokiri, Talent2, Microsoft and Russell McVeagh are also supporting the Awards.

Background

About IPANZ
The Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ) is a voluntary, non-profit organisation, committed to promoting informed debate on public sector issues. Its membership comprises a wide range of professional advisers and managers in the public sector, university students and teachers, and interested people from the private sector. The Institute arranges regular seminars for its members and interested people to provide information on and facilitate discussion of important questions of public policy and management. IPANZ publishes the quarterly 'Public Sector' journal.

The strategic goals of IPANZ include:
• promoting professional standards for public service
• being an authoritative professional commentator on
• issues affecting the public sector
• providing professional development for its members
• developing the profession of public service among
• young professionals and recruits to the public sector.

About Gen-i
Gen-i is at the forefront of helping customers take advantage of the convergence of technology and telecommunications, and the new opportunities this makes possible. Gen-i works alongside its 3,300 corporate, government and business customers to deliver seamless and integrated ICT solutions. A member of the Telecom New Zealand Group, Gen-i achieves this with the support of 3,000 highly skilled people in 17 locations across New Zealand and Australia. For more information on Gen-i, visit www.gen-i.co.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media