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Parliamentary Inquiry into performance reporting and public accountability

Posted in Government; Tagged Government, Accessibility; Posted 5 months ago by DPA Less than a minute to read

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To: Finance and Expenditure Select Committee
Date: October 2025

 

Purpose

DPA fed back to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee on the inquiry into performance reporting and public accountability.

DPA supported this review being conducted on a cross-party basis to build consensus for strengthening the accountability of government.

DPA supported cross-party consensus to embed any changes to government reporting and accountability requirements rather than having them changed every time there is a change of government.

DPA supported the need for more integrated and simplified reporting and accountability measures on the part of government.

The reporting/accountability frameworks established within the Fiscal Responsibility Act 1994 and Public Finance Act 1989 emphasised the need for quantitative fiscal data over qualitative data when assessing the outcomes of economic and fiscal policy.

Consequently, government reporting systems have not prioritised reporting around the economic, social, environmental and cultural impacts of government policy, especially the impact of economic and fiscal policies on these areas.

Summary of DPA submission

1. DPA recommended the introduction of a more qualitative, people-focused, outcomes-based reporting system, backed by the re-introduction of the Wellbeing Measures scrapped by the Coalition Government in 2025.

2. DPA recommended having more longer-term reporting timeframes to complement short- and medium-term reporting timeframes across government as seen, for example, in the Child Poverty Reduction Act reporting requirements.

3. DPA recommended that official reports be shorter, clearer and written in plain language so that all New Zealanders could understand them.

4. DPA recommended that a single piece of government accountability and reporting legislation is introduced containing these commitments.

 

 

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DPA Submission 2510 Parliamentary Inquiry into Performance Reporting Submission 2025 (DOCX)

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