Public Service Act 2020

Preliminary provisions - Provisions for operation of Act

3: Purposes of this Act

You could also call this:

"What the Public Service Act is trying to achieve"

The purposes of this Act are to continue and modernise the public service. You will see this Act recognises and enhances the non-legislative conventions that the public service operates under. It also sets out the shared purpose, principles, and values of the public service and the people working in it.

This Act aims to establish ways of working that achieve better outcomes for the public. It does this by setting out organisational forms and ways of working across public service agencies. You can find more information about how this Act compares to previous laws, such as the 1988 No 20 s 1A.

The Act extends some of its provisions to other State services and areas of government. It also affirms that the public service acts with a spirit of service to the community.

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This page was last updated on 24 May 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS223288.

Topics:

Government and voting > Government departments

2: Commencement, or

"When the different parts of the Public Service Act 2020 start"

4: Guide to this Act, or

"A guide to understanding the Public Service Act and how it works in New Zealand."

Part 1Preliminary provisions
Provisions for operation of Act

3Purposes of this Act

The purposes of this Act are—
to continue the public service and modernise its operation, while recognising and enhancing the non-legislative conventions that it operates under:
to set out the shared purpose, principles, and values of the public service and the people working in it:
to establish organisational forms and ways of working, including across public service agencies, to achieve better outcomes for the public:
to extend some provisions of this Act that apply to the public service to other State services and other areas of government:
to affirm that the fundamental characteristic of the public service is acting with a spirit of service to the community.

Compare

1988 No 20 s 1A