Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Public Service Act 2020

People working in public service - Public service chief executives, system leaders, and public service leadership team - Public service chief executives

51: Public service chief executives

You could also call this:

"Who are the bosses of New Zealand's government departments?"

Each department and departmental agency in New Zealand has a chief executive to lead it. You can find out what a chief executive is called by looking at the Act of Parliament for that chief executive, or by what the Commissioner has named them. The Governor-General can make changes to the roles of chief executives by changing the information in Schedule 5.

When a new chief executive role is created, the order must say what the role is called, which department it belongs to, and what its main jobs are. If a new functional chief executive role is created, the Commissioner must appoint someone to that role. You can find more information about how chief executives are appointed and reviewed in Schedule 7.

An order under this section is a type of secondary legislation, which has its own rules for publication, as explained in Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS356902.

Topics:
Government and voting > Government departments
Previous

50: Advisory committees, or

"The Commissioner can form a group to help them make good decisions for the community."

Next

52: General responsibilities of chief executives of departments and departmental agencies, or

"What bosses of government departments and agencies are responsible for"

Part 3People working in public service
Public service chief executives, system leaders, and public service leadership team: Public service chief executives

51Public service chief executives

  1. Each department and departmental agency must have a chief executive to lead it.

  2. Each chief executive is to be known—

  3. by the designation fixed by an Act of Parliament for that chief executive; or
    1. if paragraph (a) does not apply, by the designation given to that chief executive by the Commissioner.

      1. The Governor-General may, by Order in Council,—

      2. if a functional chief executive role is established or disestablished or if the designation of the role is changed, insert, repeal, or amend an item in Schedule 5:
        1. if the host department, or the name of the host department, of a functional chief executive is changed, amend an item in Schedule 5.

          1. An order relating to the establishment of a functional chief executive role must—

          2. state the designation of the functional chief executive role; and
            1. identify the department that will be the host department for the role; and
              1. set out the particular functions of the role to be carried out within the host department; and
                1. when establishing a functional chief executive role for the first time, delete the words immediately below the table in Schedule 5.

                  1. If a functional chief executive role is established, the Commissioner must appoint a person to that role.

                  2. See the provisions of Schedule 7, which apply to the appointment and performance review of chief executives, but see also clause 11 of that schedule, which makes special provision for the Commissioner as chief executive of the Commission and the Solicitor-General as chief executive of the Crown Law Office.

                  3. An order under this section is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).

                  Compare
                  Notes
                  • Section 51(7): inserted, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).