Consultation: Code of Conduct for the Public Sector

The Code of Conduct for public servants (the Code) is being updated to reflect key provisions of the Public Service Act 2020 (the Act). This includes the Public Service values and principles.

The Code sets minimum standards of integrity and conduct for public servants and public sector organisations listed in section 17(2) of the Public Service Act 2020. It also supports a pro-integrity culture across the public sector and public understanding of the conduct they can expect of people working in the public sector.

The current Code 'Standards of Integrity and Conduct' was issued in 2007 and while many of the minimum standards are still relevant, some new standards need to be included.

Standards of Integrity and Conduct (current Code)

Our work to update the Code has included engagement with a range of internal and external stakeholders. We are now consulting with all agencies and entities that the Code will apply to. You will find more information on the consultation below.

We are aiming to re-issue the Code at the end of 2025. It will take effect in early 2026, with enough time for agencies to prepare to implement the new Code.

Consultation

We are currently undertaking targeted consultation on a draft Code of Conduct with key stakeholders, particularly public sector agencies to which the Code is intended to apply. The consultation is open from Tuesday 2 September to Friday 17 October 2025.

Key stakeholders have received, or will soon receive, an invitation to provide their feedback. Individual public servants are encouraged to provide feedback via their agency, where possible.

You will find the updated Code of Conduct that we are consulting on below.

Updated Code of Conduct for consultation(PDF, 304 KB)

You can compare this to the current Code of Conduct below.

Current Code of Conduct of conduct for public servants

You can also see how the minimum standards from the current Code of Conduct are reflected in the updated Code in the document below.

How the minimum standards from the current Code are reflected in the updated Code(PDF, 159 KB)

If you have been invited to provide feedback, please fill out the feedback form below to answer some specific questions or to make more general comments.

Feedback form

If you are unable to use the form above, you can send your feedback to the email below.

codeconsultation@publicservice.govt.nz

Privacy statement

We collect your name and email address so that we can send you updates on the outcome of this consultation or to contact you about the feedback you provide. If you choose not to provide your name, role or email address we’ll still process your feedback but won’t be able to contact you about it or provide you updates on this work.

We’ll keep your information safe by storing it in encrypted files and only allowing certain staff to access it. We don’t share this information with any third parties. You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong.

If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information or have it corrected, please contact us at:

codeconsultation@publicservice.govt.nz

+64 4 495 6600

PO Box 329, Wellington 6140

FAQs

What is the Code of Conduct?

The Standards of Integrity and Conduct is the current Code of Conduct for public servants and the State Services. This has been in place since 2007.

Standards of Integrity and Conduct

The Code sets minimum standards of integrity and conduct for public servants and the public sector organisations they work in. It outlines how public sector agencies should operate and how its people are expected to behave.

The Code encourages ethical behaviour and decision-making, while fostering a culture centred on a spirit of service, integrity and transparency. This is intended to maintain and strengthen the trust and confidence of the Government and the public in our ability to perform our roles efficiently and effectively, with the highest standards of integrity.
How is the Code implemented in agencies?

Agencies implement the Code by having policies and procedures consistent with it. This means either adopting the Code outright or adapting it to their own organisational context in a way that is consistent with the Code. Each agency is encouraged to promote awareness of the Code and the behavioural expectations that flow from it.

The Code’s implementation is supported by our Speaking Up model standard. Speaking Up requires agencies to have mechanisms that enable public servants to confidentially speak up about wrongdoing in their agencies while keeping them safe from reprisals or other detrimental impacts.

Model standards: Speaking up in the public sector
Who will the updated Code apply to?
The updated Code is intended to apply to all agencies, groups and individuals (for example, public servants) of the organisations defined in section 17(2) of the Public Service Act 2020. Those organisations are:
- Public service agencies, including departments, departmental agencies, interdepartmental executive boards, interdepartmental ventures, and includes Crown agents
- Crown entities (other than Crown agents and excluding tertiary education institutions, and Crown Research Institutes and their subsidiaries)
- Companies named in Schedule 4A of the Public Finance Act 1989
- the Parliamentary Counsel Office.
For a full list of the organisations under each of these categories, visit the page below.

Central government organisations
Will the updated Code change what is expected of me and my agency?

Updating the Code does not change the general expectation that public servants abide by the Code. Everyone who the Code applies to will need to understand, and uphold the Code, just as they do now.

The Code is not, on its own, sufficient to ensure that everyone meets its standards. Public sector agencies will still be required to have policies and procedures that reflect the standards in their own organisational context. They are also still required to ensure that their employees know what is expected of them to uphold the Code, and to provide relevant support for this.

Each agency is encouraged to promote awareness of the Code and the behavioural expectations that flow from it.

There will be a new requirement to complete training on integrity and the Code which we are currently developing. We are aiming for the training to be ready when the Code comes into effect. This is intended to help public servants to understand the code and expectations across key areas of public sector integrity.
What work has happened on updating the Code so far?

In 2022 and 2023 we completed extensive engagement with agencies and key stakeholders such as academics and unions. Alongside research, insights from these engagements have informed the Code update. In 2025 we refreshed this work to build on what we’ve done so far, engaging key stakeholders before opening consultation on a draft.

Our focus has been to bring the Act’s Public Service values and principles to life through the Code, while ensuring it may continue to drive high standards of integrity and conduct across the public sector. Enabling our roles in serving the Government of the day and supporting public trust and confidence in the public sector’s people and organisations are also key factors informing this work.
What will happen after the consultation closes?

After consultation closes, we will review and consider the feedback. The feedback will help us to identify any further changes to the draft Code’s content.

When a final version is ready and approved by the Public Service Commissioner, it will be issued to the agencies and entities to which it applies.

Those agencies and entities will then be required to ensure that the public servants they employ are aware of the new Code and how it applies to them in their work.