Our upcoming report will be released Monday 16 November 2026

Register for the launch webinar
Monday 16 November 2026, 2pm

Is New Zealand’s public service still politically neutral, and does it give ministers free and frank advice? Our upcoming report asks those questions, and the answers matter for whoever forms the next government.

Join authors Dr Benno Blaschke and Henry Olsen for the launch on Zoom. All registrants will be emailed a copy of the report once it’s released.

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What’s coming

Based on a survey of 718 current and former public servants and interviews with 40 people with direct experience of the system, No Minister tests the public service against two Westminster ideals: political neutrality, and free and frank advice.

Early findings include:

• Seven in ten agreed that “the public service serves the public, not the elected government”.
• 40% disagreed that “because ministers are democratically elected, they should decide policy and tradeoffs”.
• More than half of policy advisers, managers and leaders surveyed (53%) agreed officials should “brief stakeholders and the media so a minister’s policy becomes politically untenable”.

These are officials’ views on what an official should do, not records of what anyone has done.

As featured in the Sunday Star-Times.

Don’t miss it
Register for the webinar and we’ll email you the report as soon as it’s released.

Register now here.