Te mahi i ngā whakahaere kāwanatanga Public servants at work

All public servants have a role to play in supporting the integrity of our electoral process and the smooth transition between one government and the next.

Serving government requires public servants to perform their role fairly, impartially and to a high standard. The public sector must ensure it maintains the trust and confidence of both current and future governments, and the public. For example, public servants working in policy and regulation must provide impartial, evidence-based policy advice to Ministers, and those in operational roles must deliver high-quality services to all New Zealanders. 

Public servants have the same rights to freedom of speech and political activity in their private lives as other New Zealanders. 

This guidance outlines some of the factors to consider when managing the public sector’s political neutrality obligations alongside personal political interests.

For further information on managing personal political interests see:

Section 3: Public servants outside work

Integrity and conduct obligations

This guidance sits alongside the Public Service Commissioner’s codes of conduct, agency codes of conduct, agency policies and processes, and employment obligations.

At work, public servants must meet high standards of integrity and conduct and be politically neutral at all times. This guidance discusses the expectations of integrity and conduct, including political neutrality, for the public sector during the election period.

Read the codes of conduct issued by the Public Service Commissioner.

Code of Conduct for the Public Sector

Code of Conduct for ministerial staff 

Code of Conduct for Crown Entity Board Members

Code of Conduct For Directors of Schedule 4A Companies

Read Chapter 3 of the Cabinet Manual for more information on integrity and conduct throughout the public sector.

Cabinet Manual: Integrity and conduct throughout the public sector | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Political neutrality obligations 

In serving the government of the day, public servants must be politically neutral. This means they must serve New Zealand’s democratically elected government to the best of their professional abilities, irrespective of their own personal political opinions. Political neutrality helps to manage the potential for conflict between the public sector’s policy advice role and the Government’s decision-making and advocacy role. The public sector must be politically neutral at all times, including in relation to elections, by-elections and referendums. 

Political neutrality is one of the five public service principles set out in the Public Service Act 2020. The chief executives and Boards referred to in section 12 of the Act [2] are responsible for upholding these principles when carrying out their responsibilities and functions. The Public Service Commissioner, as Head of Service, provides leadership of the Public Service, including of its agencies and workforce (see section 43 of the Act [3]).

While public servants have the same rights of political expression as other members of the public, they must respect other people’s rights and interests in the workplace, and avoid behaving in a way that undermines the political neutrality of the public sector. Chatting about politics or policy in a private conversation with interested colleagues is acceptable but more overt, politically partisan conduct may not be. For example, it is not appropriate to:

• wear political party advertising on a t-shirt in the workplace 

• campaign for a political party or a candidate in the workplace 

• provide work contact details to political parties for personal reasons 

• engage with political parties in your personal capacity while at work. 

Acting responsibly means public servants should advise their manager if they receive emails from political parties at work, and not respond to or forward emails from political parties to other public servants or agencies. 

Public servants must treat everyone, including political parties, fairly and equally and avoid the perception of discrimination based on their political views or affiliations.

Public funds and publicly funded agency resources must not be used for political purposes. For example, using a work printer to copy political party material is not allowed. 

Being politically neutral means that public servants cannot work for, or service, political entities such as party caucuses and caucus committees as part of their work as government officials.

As a government official, they can only attend a caucus meeting of a political party represented in the House at the direction, or with the consent, of the Minister, and with the consent of their chief executive. 

Public servants as members of a profession 

Public servants who are members of professions with their own professional obligations or code of ethics need to consider how these fit with their political neutrality responsibilities as public servants.  

If a member of a profession wishes to comment publicly in a professional capacity on work-related matters within their areas of expertise, they should first raise the matter with the agency. They should not enter into debate criticising or advocating for particular politicians or political parties or comment on particular political party policies.

Read the Public Service Commission’s guidance on the public service principles. It includes more comprehensive guidance for public servants who are members of a profession or have a statutory role.

Guidance: Public Service principles

Ministerial staff 

Like other public servants, ministerial staff must not undertake electioneering work for Ministers during their ordinary work hours or use official resources for political party purposes. Ministerial staff employed by the Department of Internal Affairs are bound by the Code of Conduct for ministerial staff and are not required to be politically neutral in providing political advice to the Minister. However, ministerial staff should bear in mind that they are likely to be working alongside public servants who are seconded to Minister’s offices who are subject to the Public Service Commissioner’s Code of Conduct for the Public Sector which requires them to be politically neutral. 

Read the Public Service Commissioner’s Code of Conduct for ministerial staff and top 10 areas to watch out for in an election year when working in a ministerial office.

Code of Conduct for ministerial staff

Top 10 areas to watch out for in an election year when working in a ministerial office(PDF, 193 KB)

[2] Section 12, Public Service Act 2020 | New Zealand Legislation

[3] Section 43, Public Service Act 2020 | New Zealand Legislation