16 August 2001 Media Statement

State Services Minister Trevor Mallard today announced an advisory committee to oversee some of the Government's work to strengthen the core of the state sector.

The Review of the Centre Advisory Group will report back to the Government later in the year with advice on where the managerial strengths and weaknesses are in the public sector and proposals for change.

The review follows the release a few months ago of the first state sector standards board report. It called for a renewal of the processes and practices that provide a strong centre to the State sector.

"A lot of the Government's objectives for a stronger state sector will ultimately depend on having strong leadership from the centre. If the centre is weak, the rest of it will not stack up," Trevor Mallard said today.

Issues that the advisory group is considering include whether the division of the State sector into a large number of departments and agencies is leading to an excessively narrow focus by managers and a loss of co-ordination.

They will also look at whether the current regime unreasonably restricts appropriate devolution to regional structures.

Members of the advisory group are Angela Foulkes, Brenda Tahi, formerly a senior official at Internal Affairs, Paul Cochrane from the PSA, and the heads of SSC, Treasury and DPMC- Michael Wintringham, Alan Bollard and Mark Prebble.

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