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Further to his reply to Question 29612 (2026), would a conflict between a Minister and a Public Service chief executive over accusations of political neutrality be a matter that would warrant an investigation by the Commissioner and if not, why not?

Answered Question 31335 (2026)
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Asked by

Kieran McAnulty

List MP · Labour Party

Question

  • Further to his reply to Question 29612 (2026), would a conflict between a Minister and a Public Service chief executive over accusations of political neutrality be a matter that would warrant an investigation by the Commissioner and if not, why not?

Answered by

Hon Paul Goldsmith

List MP · National Party · Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government

Answer

As Kāinga Ora is a Crown entity, its chief executive is not a Public Service chief executive. Therefore, any conflict between a Minister and the chief executive would likely be a matter for the relevant Minister to discuss with the Board in the first instance. The board is responsible to the Minister for upholding the public service principles in the organisation it governs and is responsible for the chief executive as its employer.