Getting better but feeling worse? Public sector reform in New Zealand

Abstract

In the author’s view, a price has been paid for the overly narrow theoretical framework used to design the state sector reforms in New Zealand. According to Gregory, the way ahead must be informed both by more eclectic theoretical input, and also by closer dialogue between theory and practice. He argues elsewhere that the state sector reforms in New Zealand, especially in their application to the public service, have been too ‘mechanistic’, and too blind to the important ‘organic’ dimensions of public organizations. They have focused too much on physical restructuring, attempting to reduce the complex, vital, and dynamic reality of governmental processes to essentially artificial dualities, such as ‘outputs’ and ‘outcomes’, ‘owner’ and ‘purchaser’, ‘funder’ and ‘provider’. They have tended to ignore the less quantifiable and more holistic elements that in New Zealand underpinned a strong culture of public service trusteeship. He concludes that it is difficult to be persuaded that reform has all been for the good.