Being responsive is about active engagement and collaboration with people, groups, and communities.

Ngā paerewa The standards

14.  We take the time to listen to and understand people’s circumstances and needs. 

15.  We aim to collaborate and engage meaningfully with New Zealanders to design policies and deliver services that meet their needs and aspirations.

A people-centred approach – to listen and understand

We take time to listen and understand people’s needs so we can respond with the right advice and services. This also means providing people with useful information and support and delivering services that are timely, easy to use/access and effective.

We build trust by being responsive and intentional in our interactions. We adapt our approach to the situation and any changes in a person’s circumstances or context. We also seek feedback so we can continue to improve.

Collaborate and engage on policy and service design and delivery

When designing policies and services, we do our best to identify relevant stakeholders, partners and communities for collaboration. We aim to provide them with information and opportunities to engage with us so we can understand their views, needs and aspirations. Doing this helps us design services that work well for different people and communities.

Collaboration and engagement help us to improve outcomes for New Zealanders. We can achieve this by:

  • sharing knowledge, fostering innovation, and learning from each other
  • supporting better coordination and delivery, and
  • being flexible and adapting to change.