Good Governance - Good Government Symposium

Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, I greet you in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, CookIsland, Niue and Tokelau.

Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni

First of all may I thank you for inviting me to speak tonight at this "Good Governance - Good Government" Symposium dinner.

With such a large number and so many of countries involved, the opportunity to learn from each others experiencesshare our wisdoms cannot be underestimated. With this in mind, and given we are meeting in New Zealand, I have decided to structure my speech in the traditional Maori way.

I will firstly state my background or Whakapapa in which I will elaborate on my experience in the fields of government and law.

Following this is the Whaikorero, the main body of the speech, in which I will discuss the topic of good governance and good government in more detail.

As an end note, I will issue a challenge, or Wero, for you all to consider during the remainder of this symposium and Seminar. 

Good governance and good government have been part of my professional life experiences in terms of being a practising lawyer when I interpreted the law, a  Judge where I applied the law, and the 10 years as an Ombudsman when I did both perhaps in spite of the law before my present appointment as Governor-General when I can leave those aspects to others and be a small part of bringing forth the new laws.

Each of the  positions reside within institutions that play important roles in upholding the political process and ensuring it is accountable, transparent and participatory.

I trust thus that I have established my place to stand in this audience in answer to the invitation expressed.

My whaikorero is then to observe that the common interest for all participants in this symposium is to learn how to improve public sector performance - and more effective government - through better governance practices.

This is an important objective, and as the title of this symposium states indicates, a political system which adheres to the practices of good governance will be much further along the road towards achieving good government as a result. 

The benefits for all citizens cannot be over-stated. After all, good government provides the foundation for a compassionate, moderate and peaceful society.

As we each know, Government is conventionally split into three segments, Parliament, Executive and Judiciary. Governance is the administrative side of a political system and consequently involves the very important functions of controlling processes within a nation state's economy and society.

A number of elements make up good governance. Together, they provide a series of  "checks and balances" on the Executive, Parliament and the public sector.

Vital to the whole process of governance is a democratic government , where fair and regular elections are held and clear appointment procedures are used.

The Judiciary must remain independent from the Executive and Parliamentary arms of government in order to fairly interpret and apply legislation without influence.

Further to this, the Rule of Law forms an important part of defining the relationship between government and its people. These principles provide the ideal standard to which government should strive.

The Courts in New Zealand have been influential in recognising the common law rights of Maori, especially the Court of Appeal. The result has been an enhanced public perception of Maori interests and corresponding positive changes in executive policy and legislative response.

In New Zealand, two other institutions help administer governance on the political system: The Ombudsmen; and and The Controller and the Auditor-General. Both are accountable to Parliament and provide assurance to Parliament that public entities and the government are operating in a satsifactory manner.

More importantly perhaps, is the role connection they provide and play between the general public and the public sector. In any democracy it is important that the voters, the general public, feel as though they have a channel through which they can pursue any issues - or voice any concerns they have. 

In New Zealand it is the Office of the Ombudsman that provides this opportunity channel.

The Ombudsmen were introduced in 1962 and the Office undertakes a number of roles. Whilst an ombudsman, I dealt with complaints about unfairness on the part of government officials, assessed governance processes, and worked in the freedom of information jurisdiction of that office.

It was a richly varied role, which helped me better understand just how much the public sector affects every individual's life. And, therefore, how important it is that this power is regulated.

By means of contact with ordinary citizens, the Ombudsmen contribute significantly to the governance of the public sector with human rights a core concern. In this respect Ombudsmen attend to complaints on the actions of authorities such as police, customs, prisons or immigration officials.

The Ombudsmen may also receive complaints about the administration of local and central government bodies. It is important that the state sector upholds efficient and effective standards at all times.  By providing a channel, through which the public can address issues, the Ombudsmen conduct governance from the bottom-up.

It is giving a voice to a nation's citizens that perhaps is the strongest reflection of good governance.

Can I also raise for brief mention another forum which at least in  one sense is an Ombudsman add -on which has sought to provide a 'voice' to New Zealanders in another setting.

Before my present task, I spent 16 months chairing at the request of the government the Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals.  This forum which is shortly to finish its work has been mandated  seeking to add a 'truth and reconciliation' element into dealing with issues that some former patients may wish to raise, affecting their time in a hospital.

It was a legal first for New Zealand.

It was an opportunity for patients, their families and staff members to formally recall their own experiences in psychiatric institutions - including those who claim to have suffered abuse.

It was also recognition of the voice of those patients. Their own stories, their experiences and their memories have been given official weight in a way that has not happened before.

In the same way that these former patients were given an opportunity to address grievances, a good government system should seek to allow all its citizens the same right.

There is a strong case to be made that every democratic system should have a bodies similar to the Ombudsmen, and increasingly many do.  From being restricted to Scandinavian countries through the first half of the last century by the end of that time there were more than 200 jurisdictions or territories with Ombudsman jurisdiction and it was one of the relatively few public sector concepts that came to be adopted in the private sector for things like banking and insurance for example.

Since the mid 1980's the public sector in New Zealand has, like many others around the world,s undergone a number of changes, primarily to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its various parts.

Along with this restructuring, the public has continued to use complaints procedures to ensure accountability remains a strong branch in public sector governance.

New Zealand may experience and evolution provides just one example of effective governance through accountability. One size, however, does not fit all and the differences between the public sectors represented here tonight reflects this and may not be easily applied in all countries represented here tonight. These observations conclude my whaikorero.

To conclude I would like to offer three wero, or challenges. The first is to avoid complacency. It is too easy to look at the issue of governance and become comfortable.

The methods employed within a political system may be adequate, but let us not forget that there can always be room for improvement and that we ought not rest on the status quo.

The second challenge is to be willing to accept new approaches and methods to improve that status quo. Clearly, this works hand in hand with my previous point.

Finally, turn your shared wisdoms into action.  I'm am sure that during this event, you all will each take the opportunity to learn from each othersone anothers' experiences and return home with new insights which can actively help improve public sector performance in your respective political systems.  There is happily a Maori proverb or whakatauki which underpins all this in a neat way.  It goes "nau te rou rou naku te rourou ka ora te iwi" which translated, means from your food bowl and from my food bowl the people will be fed.

I wish you all a most productive and enlighting event.

I began speaking in all the New Zealand realm languages.  May I close by speaking in Maori issuing greetings and wishing you good health and fortitude in your endeavours.

No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa