Newstalk ZB: Benno Blaschke on who really runs the public service?
Senior Research Fellow Benno Blaschke joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on Newstalk ZB to preview the New Zealand Initiative’s upcoming report, No Minister: A free and frank analysis of the public service.
Drawing on a survey of current and former public servants and 40 interviews with officials, Benno said 71% of public servants believe they serve the public rather than the elected government. Many of those trust their own judgement over ministers’ when they disagree.
He described a “ladder of interventions” officials may use, from openly debating ministers to withholding information, framing advice to steer decisions, using process to cause delays and leaking to the media. The problem is not partisan, he said: a misaligned public service can frustrate governments of any colour.