Information on senior managers in the Public Service and the Public Service Leaders Group.

Seniority profile

As at 30 June 2026, 11.8% of the Public Service workforce were management staff, led by 42 Public Service leaders (41 secretary and chief executive and 1 Deputy Public Service Commissioner positions), 8 of whom were in acting positions.

In total, there were 1,144 senior managers (tiers 1, 2 and 3), and 6,538 other managers. The remaining 88.2% (57,686 staff) were non-management.

Senior manager metrics (tiers 1 to 3)

As at 30 June 2026, there were 1,144 senior managers in the Public Service (defined as the top 3 tiers of managers with chief executives being tier one). This is the third consecutive decrease in numbers of senior managers from a high of 1,361 in June 2023. It’s also the third decrease in senior managers as a proportion of overall staff numbers to 1.8%, a measure that has been mostly trending down since 2009 (when it was 2.5%). 

The percentage of women in the top 3 tiers of senior management was 57.6%. After a slight fall last year (from 56.7% to 56.5%), the latest figure represents a new high. This proportion has been mostly trending up since current records began in 2001, when 32.7% of senior managers were female. Male representation in senior management in 2026 is 41.4%.   

Senior managers reported being 77.9% European, 16.8% Māori, 5.7% Pacific peoples, 3.7% Asian and 0.8% Middle Eastern, Latin American or African (MELAA). These add to more than 100% as it includes those with multiple ethnicities. Although Pacific and Asian people remain under-represented in senior management roles compared to either the Public Service workforce or the New Zealand population, representation has generally improved over the last five years: 

  • Māori representation is now 16.8% (down from 17.3% in 2025 but up from 13.5% in 2021).   
  • Pacific representation is now 5.7% (up from 4.8% in 2025 and 4.3% in 2021). 
  • Asian representation is now 3.7% (down from 3.8% in 2025 but up from 2.9% in 2021). 

Annual sick and domestic leave usage for senior management was 5.4 days in 2026. This is low compared with the 8.1 days for the other managers group and 10.8 days on average for non-managerial staff. However, after small decreases in the previous two years, the latest figure exceeds the previous record high of 5.1 days seen in 2023. 

Senior leaders comparison(CSV, 12 KB)

Senior leaders data table by agency(CSV, 81 KB)

Senior leaders trends(CSV, 176 KB)

Te Pae Turuki Public Service Leaders Group metrics

Te Pae Turuki Public Service Leaders Group (PSLG) was established in 2017. The membership requirements were updated in early 2024 to focus more on leaders who work collaboratively across agencies to achieve outcomes for New Zealanders. Chief Executives identify which of their senior positions meet PSLG criteria. Leaders in these positions make up the membership of PSLG.

A position will be designated as being in PSLG when it is:

  • Based in an agency where the Chief Executive is part of Public Service Leadership Team (PSLT) – noting that any departmental agency or functional chief executives that sit outside of PSLT are also members of PSLG,
  • and is either a tier 2 Executive Leadership Team (ELT) position, or,
  • another senior-level position with a significant system leadership component i.e. is:
    • responsible for initiating, shaping, and/or driving a strategy, public policy or initiative that is a Government, PSLT, or regional priority; and
    • mostly focused outwardly on achieve those joint outcomes by:
      • working collaboratively with senior leaders beyond its agency e.g. representatives from other agencies, sector/regional organisations, Māori, community groups, NGOs, business, etc; and/or
      • representing this work as the key interface with Government.

As at May 2026, there were 564 members of PSLG, 45.4% male and 48.4% female (gender was unknown for the remainder of the members).

Information on Te Pae Turuki Public Service Leadership Group is available here:Public Service Leaders Group

Public Service leaders metrics (tier 1) 

As at 30 June 2026, the 42 Public Service Leaders reported being 81.6% European, 15.8% Māori, 7.9% Pacific Peoples and 7.9% Asian (these add to more than 100% as it includes those with multiple ethnicities).

At that same point in time, women held 18 of the 42 Public Service Leader roles, or 43%, down from 45% in the previous two years and the high of 54% seen in 2023. Current information can be found on the Public Service Leaders page.

The latest leader profiles are available here: Who leads the Public Service