29615 (2026). Hon Kieran McAnulty to the Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government

29615 (2026). Hon Kieran McAnulty to the Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government: What powers, if any, does the Public Service Commissioner have for investigating complaints about the political neutrality of Crown Entity chief executives?

Hon Paul Goldsmith: The Commissioner may conduct investigations into Crown entities where these relate to matters of integrity, accountability and transparency. This includes concerns relating to political neutrality, which is covered by the minimum standards of integrity and conduct issued by the Commissioner (Refer Public Service Act 2020, Schedule 3 Clause 5(4)). The Commissioner must also conduct such investigations where requested by the responsible Minister (Refer Public Service Act 2020, Schedule 3 Clause 5(2)(b)). Note that the Commissioner considers a range of factors when determining whether to investigate a potential issue, including whether the significance of the matter warrants investigation and whether the Commission is best placed to look into the matter. More information on how the Commissioner exercises this discretion is available at the following link: https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/about-the-commission/when-we-investigate