The New Zealand State Services Commission says the latest survey of the public’s perception of the Public Service shows a continuing high degree of satisfaction and trust.
Releasing the results from the 2019 Kiwis Count survey, State Services Commissioner, Peter Hughes said the results were particularly satisfying as they maintained an upward trend that had been apparent since the first soundings in 2007.
The survey found that 79 per cent of New Zealanders trusted public services based on their personal experience. This was 12 percentage points higher than 2007, and one percentage point down on 2018.
A total of 49 per cent of New Zealanders surveyed trusted the public sector brand, which was five percentage points higher than 2015 though slightly down on last year.
Kiwis Count measures New Zealanders’ satisfaction with 43 commonly used services. The overall service quality score for 2019 was 77, a record high and nine points higher than 2007.
Overall satisfaction with public sector services has been consistently higher than private sector services since 2012.
The results are consistent with the latest Colmar Brunton 2020 Public Sector Reputation Index showing big improvements in Agencies listening to the public’s point of view, on trustworthiness, using taxpayers’ money responsibly and being relied upon to protect individuals’ personal information.
The results also underline the International Civil Service Effectiveness Index which last year ranked New Zealand second overall out of 38 countries on performance, and first on integrity, capabilities and procurement.
“Public servants work every day to earn the trust and confidence of New Zealanders,” Mr Hughes said.
“The Public Service can’t operate without the trust and confidence of the people we serve,” he said.
Wellington, 2 July 2020
