However, MPs lack 'appetite' to introduce transformative change needed
The workplace culture of New Zealand's Parliament has "improved significantly" since the scathing report on it in 2019, thanks to individual Party and agency initiatives that addressed some issues.
This is the conclusion of independent external reviewer Debbie Francis, whose parliamentary workplace culture report in 2019 found that bullying and harassment were rife in Parliament.
Francis made 85 recommendations to address the problems she found, and in 2022, was asked to carry out another review to check on Parliament's progress in implementing them.
"Thanks to the combined efforts of the parliamentary agencies, parties, staff and members, the cultural health of the parliamentary workplace has improved significantly since my previous review in 2018-19," Francis said in her latest review.
"Work has been undertaken on most of my earlier recommendations."
Leaders, parties, agencies, and staff are more alert to the need for respectful and constructive workplace relationships, according to the reviewer. They are also "more vigilant as to inappropriate conduct and more mindful of the link between demonstrated behaviours and the health of our democracy."
House Speaker Adrian Rurawhe attributed the progress to the efforts of staff, agencies, and parties in Parliament.
"Together, we have made great strides in our commitments to improve workplace culture. It is a journey that we will continue to move forward with," Rurawhe said in a statement.
Lack of appetite for 'transformative' change
However, Francis also pointed out that some reported improvements in the parliamentary workplace were a result of workarounds and ad hoc initiatives.
"This means that some of the work has addressed symptoms rather than root causes. This has created pockets of excellent practice, but these tend to be the result of individual party and agency initiatives. In spite of these sometimes-heroic efforts, too many of the power imbalances and pain points of the old culture remain," she said.
To address the root of the problems, Francis called for the "reimagining" of Parliament's workplace operating model - an "appetite" that MPs don't seem to have.
"The current review has shown, however, that the appetite does not presently exist for such a transformative approach, particularly amongst elected Members," she said.
Francis attributed the situation to party differences and current fiscal pressures.
"Executing a new model would require an additional investment into parliamentary operations – in the form of increased agency baselines – that elected members have resisted making in recent years, in spite of several reports recommending changes," she said.
According to the reviewer, it may take a crisis or a significantly improved fiscal outlook to trigger the needed "transformative operating model change."
Urgent, systemic change needed
Reacting on the report, the Public Service Association (PSA) expressed disappointment over the findings of the review, saying the current parliamentary system is based on an "adversarial model" that needs deliberate interventions.
"Urgent, systemic change is needed if our democracy is function effectively for all of us," said PSA National Secretary Kerry Davies in a statement. "People working at Parliament, including in Ministerial offices, and in electorate offices need a constructive and safe workplace environment and secure work, particularly at a time of rising threats from some quarters."
The PSA is the country's democratic trade union representing over 87,000 employees in New Zealand's public sector.
According to PSA National Organiser for Parliamentary Agencies Stephanie Lamborn, members of the PSA employed in Parliament have reported "significantly" increased workloads in recent years.
"People are being burnt out and are leaving, and that is not a recipe for a well-functioning Parliament," Lamborn said.
The government said the Parliamentary Service Commission will discuss how to respond to the report in its next meeting this August.
"We expect that the guidance and the opportunities represented in the report steer us to deliver even greater progress in our journey to strengthen the parliamentary culture," Rurawhe said.
