The review finds that the concept of the "one-stop shop" has worked well enough to stick with it. And the review concludes that there are no significant administrative failings that would imply that the department was incapable of doing its job.

Hunn: "There appears to be general agreement that the original concept of full structural integration together with case management (albeit with some reservations) have proved to be sufficiently effective in the initial stages as to justify the continuation of the department. There is also general agreement that further major restructuring would be inadvisable..."

Hunn: "It is instructive to recall that the decision to establish DWI was taken in the context of a radical shift in employment policy and in the planning stage the organisation was referred to as the Integrated Employment Service. While the functions originally envisaged for the department included benefit reform and a contribution to "Strengthening Families", the emphasis was on minimising long-term unemployment and maximising community work..."

The Community Employment staff within Winz had requested an urgent review of their place in the department. Hunn remarked: "There were strong feelings that the community approach does not blend in well with the individualised focus of DWI and that the risk of being submerged in the department is very high, thus endangering the achievement of Government's objectives for community development..."

Hunn says he has "obtained information" about the downtime in the computer system, but says he "... sees no point in identifying how and who might be responsible for the various IT failures resulting in outage."

The report says that Winz staff would appreciate "an IT system that is wholly owned by the department and that has a high level of reliability". It recommends that the service level agreement between Winz and its main contractor EDS be renegotiated "as a matter of urgency".

Wagstaff is referring to the "Partnership for Quality" agreement, which was signed on May 1st between the Government and the PSA. This agreement contains a set of principles designed "... to build quality public services and public confidence in them".

The draft report, leaked to the media, had contained 10 recommendations, including several specific to Christine Rankin. The draft said that these recommendations were "to address the issues which have been brought to the attention of this review" ... and had included:
— that the chief executive delegate responsibility for operations matters
— that a deputy secretary help the chief executive develop relationships with outside organisations
— that consideration be given to reducing the size of the national office and restructuring management.

However, the final report had no such list of recommendations, saying it had avoided them "... because the first set of decisions needed to deal with the problems described in this review will be political ones, for the ministers alone to take."

Rankin is employed on a three-year fixed-term contract which ends in July 2001. Audrey Young, political journalist with the New Zealand Herald, reports that until now, ministers have been careful not to say anything that might give cause for Rankin to take a constructive dismissal suit against the government. PM Helen Clark has told reporters that the government just can't get rid of Rankin. Clark remarks "... without perhaps talking about her in particular" that a law case against dismissal would cost the taxpayer a lot of money. Clark: "That's the problem."

Audrey Young says it would cost a relative pittance about $375,000 to terminate Rankin's contract early under the "Perry Cameron" incompatability clause, named after the former secretary of Internal affairs who was forced out because of poor relations with former minister Warren Cooper. Young: "But a constructive dismissal claim would undoubtedly cost a lot more ... The problem is the political muckiness it would create."

Don Hunn remarks in his report that "... the Government has it's own new welfare and employment policies it wishes to implement and there are organisational issues arising from the establishment phase which need to be dealt with ... this is likely to require significant reconfiguration of the organisation and the redirection of plans for organisation development."

Hunn suggests that ministers formulate a strategy to drive the changes that could include increasing the department's focus on employment, and improving its services to Maori and Pacific Island people.

Internet link. The full Hunn Report "Ministerial review into the Department of Work and Income" (32pg) and Annexes (120pg) are available on the internet at
http://www.executive.govt.nz/minister/mallard/winz/index.html

Sources Ministerial Review into the Department of Work and Income, Don Hunn Wellington 8 May 2000;
Letter to Don Hunn, Ministerial Review Team from Christine Rankin, Chief Executive of Winz, 27 April 2000;
New Zealand Herald 10 May 2000 "Watered-down Winz report says little" by Audrey Young;
Press Release NZ Government 10 May 2000 "Government to release full Winz report";
Article Scoop Media 10 May 2000 "Rankin weakens critical Winz report" by Chris Holm;
Press Release Act New Zealand "Leak a cover-up of ministerial impotence";
Press Release State Services Commission "Report Of The Review Of Work And Income NZ" (The State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham);
The Dominion 10 May 2000 "Winz report watered down" by Karen Howard;
New Zealand Herald 11 May 2000 "Rankin objected to draft details" by Audrey Young;
The Daily News 11 May 2000 "Winz boss job seems secure after review" by NZPA
Press Release PSA 11 May 2000 "PSA Welcomes Winz report";
Press Release Act NZ 11 May 2000 "Act turns up heat on government over Winz boss Muriel Newman";
Press Release Green Party 11 May 2000 "Winz needs more than a name change Sue Bradford";
Press Release NZ First 11 May 2000 "Please: No more logoing Ron Mark"
The Daily News 13 May 2000 "Let Rankin do job, says National list MP" by Anthony Paltridge;
New Zealand Herald 13 May 2000 "Parlez-vous Winzspeak?" by Jon Gadsby
Weekend Herald 13-14 May 2000 "Vehicle OK, but the driver fails" by Audrey Young;
Sunday Star Times 14 May 2000 "A testing time to gauge your sanity" by Michael Laws;
New Zealand Herald Letter to the Editor from Joan Chapple, Glendowie 15 May 2000 ;
The Dominion 15 May 2000 "Work and Income IT slammed" by Tom Pullar-Strecker;
The Dominion Editorial 15 May 2000 "Winz needs clear goals";
Press Release Act NZ 15 May 2000 "Time for government to decide Rankin's future Muriel Newman";