Auditor-General's report, Immigration New Zealand: Delivering transformational change

The Auditor-General’s report Immigration New Zealand: Delivering transformational change was presented to the House of Representatives today.

This report looks at how well Immigration New Zealand managed its Vision 2015 Programme, and how it ensured the integrity of its online visa processing service so that it could meet present and future needs. Because of the time Immigration New Zealand took to set up the programme, we also looked at the change process that began in the mid-2000s.

We found that good management practice was a large part of the programme’s success. This included effective independent project governance, strong leadership, clear communication, and programme management that used an agile and pragmatic approach. Independent quality assurance was used effectively to support strong reporting and reviewing of the programme. Immigration New Zealand gave the programme priority and allocated it the right capability and capacity, using a mix of staff and external consultants.

Immigration New Zealand’s understanding of the programme’s detailed benefits was slow to emerge but strengthened over time. It gained a clearer view of how to improve the current system to meet its business needs and what its desired outcomes were for itself and visa applicants. However, the benefits to the wider economy, such as the tourism industry or employers recruiting skilled migrants, have yet to be clearly defined.

The programme was designed to deliver its benefits over time. It provided an opportunity to improve how effectively and efficiently Immigration New Zealand processed visas. Some benefits have already been delivered. However, change is still being put in place. Immigration New Zealand still has much to do to realise the programme’s intended benefits. We were unable to tell to what extent the programme has achieved its intended service benefits and wider outcomes.

To ensure that changes are embedded and full benefits are delivered, Immigration New Zealand will need to consolidate the improvements it has put in place, ensure that accountability for delivering benefits is clear throughout the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and establish an effective performance management and reporting framework.

A two-page summary of this report is also available.

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