Employees should fulfil their lawful obligations to Government with professionalism and integrity
This principle is about your obligation to Government in your work. In broad terms, your first priority is to carry out Government policy. In doing so, you are expected to act in a manner which will bear the closest public scrutiny.
Political neutrality
The public service serves the Government of the day. But it also must be able to serve successive Governments which may be from different political parties. Public servants must ensure that they and their department maintain the confidence of their current Minister, and can establish the same relationship with future Ministers. To do this public servants must be politically neutral in their work.
If you find yourself in a situation where your personal views on an issue conflict with the views of the Government or Minister, and you are not prepared to carry out an instruction, then you should discuss the circumstances and options available with your manager. Refusing a lawful and reasonable instruction can be grounds for dismissal.
Professionalism and integrity
As part of Government the public service has substantial powers and is responsible for spending large amounts of public money. Ministers, Parliament and the public are therefore entitled to expect high standards of professional conduct from public servants.
The integrity of public servants is central to the maintenance of public and Government confidence in the public service. This means that you need to act with integrity in all aspects of your work.
Free and frank advice
As an employee, particularly if you are in a senior position, you have a responsibility to provide honest, impartial and comprehensive advice to the Minister, and to alert the Minister to the consequences, or possible consequences, of particular policies. You must not withhold relevant information, or obstruct or delay a decision, or attempt to undermine or improperly influence Government policy.
Any advice to the Minister must be cleared through the Chief Executive or a General Manager in Head Office.
Consultation
Because we provide services on behalf of Government we should consult with relevant groups about policies or services which affect them.
When you are consulting with the public you should ensure that the consultation process provides them with an effective opportunity to give their views, and that any resulting policy advice reflects that consultation.
The Department’s Consultation policy, which is on the Intranet, contains full guidelines on consultation. Consultation is also guided by FReMO (The Framework for the Reduction of Maori Offending 1999), the Treaty of Waitangi Strategic Plan and the Pacific Strategy.
Before embarking on any exercise requiring consultation you should familiarise yourself with the Consultation policy and talk with your manager for advice and approval to proceed.
When consulting with members of the public always ensure that correct cultural protocols are respected and followed.
Media and public comment
As a government department the public have a right to information about us and the news media is the channel which can reach most people. You may receive enquiries or requests for information from the media.
The Department’s policy is that all contact with the media is coordinated centrally. This is to ensure consistency and so issues, such as timing and national implications, can be taken into account and the appropriate approach worked out for each situation.
Employees approached by the news media must in the first instance refer the enquiry directly to the Department’s Communications Unit in Head Office.
Managers with media delegation may deal with enquiries, or contact the media proactively, following consultation with the Department’s Communications Unit.
Under no circumstances should you comment publicly, to the media, or to any other organisation seeking information on policy or service delivery, on the merits of official Government policy, the policies of any political party, or the merits of the policies of any agency or government department whose work is associated with that of the Department.
The only exception to this, apart from managers with media delegation, is for employees who are formally appointed union delegates. They may comment publicly, in accordance with any agreed protocols, on collective employment agreement negotiations while the negotiations are being carried out, but in no other circumstances without the prior approval of the General Manager.
Public servants as private individuals
Generally, as a public servant you have the same rights as other members of the public. You are entitled to your own political views, can be a member of a political party, and may stand for Parliament. However, you must ensure that your activities and contribution to any public debate or discussion are consistent with the need to maintain a politically neutral public service.
In general, you must be careful that you do not:
Private communication with the Minister or Members of Parliament
You have the same rights of access to your political representatives as other members of the public. However, given the requirement for public servants to remain politically neutral in their work, you need to approach such communication with sensitivity.
As a general guide:
Enquiries from Members of Parliament and other politicians
Members of Parliament and party candidates may contact the Department. Any contact you have with political parties and their representatives must be consistent with the obligation to serve the Government of the day in a politically neutral way. Refer any enquiries from Members of Parliament and party candidates directly to your manager before responding to them.
Participation in public bodies or voluntary associations
You are free to stand for, or serve in, any office or position on any public or voluntary body. However, inform your manager of your intentions or involvement, to ensure that no conflict exists between such participation and your duties and responsibilities. Where your manager considers that there is a conflict of interest it will need to be avoided or resolved. You may be requested not to stand for office, or to resign a position already held.
Standing as a Member of Parliament
You may offer yourself as a candidate for Parliament in either a general or a by-election. If you wish to do so you should advise your manager. You will need to conform with all the requirements of the Electoral Act 1993 which cover such matters as leave required during the campaign. Dealings with the public Positive interaction with the public and external agencies or individuals concerned with Corrections is important to build understanding and appreciation of the Department’s work.
In any dealings you should:
Handling Department information
Taking proper care of information
Much Department information is confidential or sensitive. You should take proper care with the use, exchange, storage and release of any information (whether written or electronically recorded) for which you are responsible, to ensure it remains secure at all times and is only used for the intended purpose.
Release of information, and access to and handling of personal information about any individual, are governed by the Official Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 1993. You should make yourself familiar with these Acts as they apply to your work. The Department’s policies and procedures for handling requests for information are detailed in the Communications Manual.
If you deal with offenders you should be familiar with legislation and agreements relating to confidentiality of offender information, such as The Health Information Privacy Code 1994 and the agreement between Corrections and the Department of Child Youth and Family.
The Department’s Document Security Policy and the Personnel Security Policy contain important requirements and procedures relating to the protection of information. You should understand and comply with these policies, which are available from your manager.
Using information technology systems
You should only use information technology systems in the Department for the business purposes for which they are provided and within the security regime established for them by the Manager Information Technology. You are required to login with your user id and password before you may access an IT system.
Your login and use may be recorded and monitored. Do not let others know your password or use an IT system when you are logged in.
Only the Department’s IT unit may install software or, with a few limited exceptions, make any other change to an IT system.
IT policies for users are set out in the IT Use and Services Policy. These are available from your manager or the Department’s Intranet.
Included in the IT Use and Services Policy are the Department’s Email and Internet Policy. You need to be familiar with these policies and comply with them at all times, taking particular note that using email or the Internet for access to, or sending on of, material which is likely to be offensive to other employees or members of the public, may constitute serious misconduct if proven.
Reporting of wrongdoing and making protected disclosures
Reporting wrongdoing
The reporting of any type of wrongdoing by employees, contractors and consultants is necessary to maintain the highest standards of integrity, behaviour and compliance with health and safety policies and procedures required by the Department. You should therefore not ignore any misconduct or wrongdoing you become aware of within the Department.
Generally, if you believe in good faith that you have evidence of, or have witnessed, misconduct or wrongdoing in the Department your first step should be to take the matter up with your manager, who will provide you with support.
Where it is not appropriate to discuss the matter with your manager, for example because you believe the manager may be involved in the misconduct or wrongdoing, or your initial report has not been acted upon, you should notify your service or group General Manager.
Making a protected disclosure
The Protected Disclosures Act 2000 –
Specific procedures are set out in the Human Resources manual and on the Department’s Intranet, for employees wishing to disclose actual or possible serious wrongdoing. These procedures must be followed in order to receive the protections.