What changes would help your organisation deliver better results for taxpayers?

In the 2025 Te Taunaki Public Service Census, we asked an open-ended question:

What changes would help your organisation deliver better results for taxpayers?

Out of the 44,737 public servants who participated in the survey, 14,430 answered this question.

This represents 22.1% of the Public Service workforce, or about 1 in 5 employees. 

Here we share a few key excerpts from our insights report summarising the answers.

Executive summary

This Public Service Census insights report highlights the key areas that public servants felt most needed to improve. 

It illustrates in greater detail topics covered in the quantitative part of the survey. Some ideas shared wide agreement (need to reduce the burden of processes, lack of resources/staff) but also presents conflicting views on some topics.

Public servants expressed a range of ideas for how their organisation could deliver better outcomes, including ways that services could be improved and processes streamlined.

There was a desire to deliver the best possible services, including engaging more with the public in the development of policies, improving usability of websites, shortening wait times, and untangling the complexity of services. 

Access to technology, information about the effectiveness of programmes, and having sufficient staff to meet client needs, were topics raised across multiple organisations.

Staff also raised issues about how their organisations functioned, including the complexity of processes, delegations. They saw opportunities to improve financial management, leader engagement with staff, and how colleagues work together to get the job done.

Employment conditions such as the ability to work some days from home, and pay were also discussed.

This report summarises the themes of the open-ended comments and gives examples to illustrate. The themes include 'Service delivery and outcomes' and 'Process and systems', here are a few examples of the comments in these sections of the report.

Meeting customer needs

There was a strong desire to listen to the voice of the service users, and to meet their needs. Participants raised issues that demonstrated the complex challenges their service users face and identified that there are needs beyond what the agency can provide.

• “Transport and access to a phone with coverage/credit/wifi …/receiving communications is often a barrier to accessing…services, as well as having bigger priorities such as housing/food struggles and struggling to manage all services made available to them at once”
• “There is a disconnect and lack of understanding of what would be best for the people in our communities. One size does not fit all. Consult more with the people who work directly with the public.”
• “Help individuals learn practical skills like managing money, paying bills, and knowing their rights as tenants, so they can live independently.”

Streamline processes

There were numerous ideas on how services could be made easier for users. Some processes needed to be digitised, or existing technological solutions improved.

• “Our unit…is majorly lacking in technology…We have massive files - our work is VERY paper based and very manual. We still have a room full of files and piles of applications that need to be manually scanned in every single day”
• “More automated or digital services i.e. for some form submissions…Preferably user friendly for all ages and disabled persons”
• “Call centre times need to be brought right down. Long wait times on the phones mean that people are not making contact with us”
• “Reduce the amount of work a customer has to do to 'fix' or amend any work they have submitted to our organisation, to allow them to get on with what they are doing.”
• “Some processes and rules could really use simplifying…applications are so complicated and take a long time to process because of it, there has to be a way to streamline it a little which would save employee labour and effort on the clients' part.”