Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

What Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet does

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) is a central government agency of New Zealand, established on 1 January 1990 to deliver impartial, high-quality advice and secretariat services to the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Headquartered at Parliament Buildings in Wellington, it operates under the authority of the Government of New Zealand and is funded through Vote Prime Minister and Cabinet parliamentary appropriations. The department serves the Prime Minister (Rt Hon Christopher Luxon), Cabinet Ministers, and the Governor-General (Her Excellency The Rt Hon Cindy Kiro), providing constitutional advice, Cabinet process support, national security coordination, policy advisory services, and administrative support to Government House. DPMC is one of approximately 30 central government agencies and positions itself as the institutional "glue" underpinning New Zealand's parliamentary democracy.

DPMC is structured around six core business units: Cabinet Office, National Security and Resilience Group, Policy Advisory Group, Delivery Unit, Corporate, and Government House. Its offerings are government services and informational resources rather than commercial products, and include the Cabinet Manual, CabGuide, Cabinet Office Circulars, the New Zealand Royal Honours System, the Policy Project, Government Targets, the National Security Strategy, the National Risk and Resilience Framework, the Cyber Security Strategy, and Long-term Insights Briefings. The department maintains a publications database of over 7,000 documents and operates an Official Information Act process for public information requests. No proprietary technology stack is disclosed; core technology is described as not applicable, as DPMC provides advisory and coordination services rather than technology products.

DPMC does not generate commercial revenue. It is funded through parliamentary appropriations and charges no fees for its core services. Its primary stakeholders are internal government constituencies—the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and Governor-General—making the department a B2G entity in which the department is itself part of the government. The department has no shareholders or investors and is not subject to market competition. Headcount is stated at 101–250 employees. Strategic partnerships include the Public Service Commission, The Treasury, and a 2025 research partnership with Victoria University of Wellington on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. Radio links such as the National Security Group split in December 2023 are signals of organisational evolution; recent divestitures include the transfer of NEMA hosting to the Department of Internal Affairs in September 2025, the disestablishment of the Cyclone Recovery Unit in June 2025, and the transfer of the Child Wellbeing and Poverty Reduction Group to the Ministry of Social Development in 2024.

Name

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Legal name

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Website

https://dpmc.govt.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is a New Zealand central government agency providing impartial policy advice, Cabinet secretariat support, constitutional guidance, and national security coordination to the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and Governor-General, funded through parliamentary appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Administration and Policy Advisory

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (9211), National Security and International Affairs (9281), Other General Government Support (921190)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAAAA

Executive Office / Cabinet Secretariat

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Central/Federal Government Administration

SECONDARYBPAIAAAB

Central Government Policy, Strategy & Performance (incl. OMB-style functions)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Central/Federal Government Administration

SECONDARYBPAIAEAB

Treasury & Cash Management

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Public Finance, Treasury & Procurement

Keywords

• Public policy advisory
• Government administration
• National security coordination
• Constitutional advice
• Cabinet secretariat

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriations: DPMC is funded through Vote Prime Minister and Cabinet government appropriations. As a central government department, it receives public funding to carry out its constitutional, executive, and national security functions. Revenue is not generated through commercial activities but through parliamentary appropriations.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) is a central New Zealand government agency that provides impartial policy advice, Cabinet secretariat services, and constitutional guidance to the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and the Governor-General. It leads national security and resilience coordination, administers the New Zealand Royal Honours system, supports the policy profession across the public service, and publishes authoritative governance resources such as the Cabinet Manual, CabGuide, and Cabinet Office Circulars.

Product overview

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) is a central government agency, not a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of government services, administrative functions, and policy resources including: the Cabinet Manual and CabGuide (constitutional/governance guidance); Cabinet Office Circulars (official government guidance); the New Zealand Royal Honours System (honours administration); the Policy Project (policy capability building); Government Targets (public sector performance monitoring); National Security Strategy and National Risk and Resilience Framework (national security and crisis management); Cyber Security Strategy; and Long-term Insights Briefings. These are informational resources and government programmes, not commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Zealand Royal Honours System The official honours system administered by the Cabinet Office Honours Unit, managing nominations and awards including the Order of New Zealand, New Zealand Order of Merit, and gallantry and bravery awards.
• Cabinet Manual Authoritative guide to central government decision making for Ministers, their offices, and public servants, covering constitutional arrangements, Cabinet procedures, and executive government operations.
• CabGuide Online resource providing procedures and operation guidance for New Zealand Cabinet, Cabinet committees, and the Executive Council.
• Cabinet Office Circulars Official circulars issued by the Cabinet Office providing guidance to departments on centre-of-government decision-making issues.
• Policy Project A programme supporting the Head of the Policy Profession to build a high-performing policy system across New Zealand's Public Service, providing policy tools, frameworks, and community resources.
• Government Targets Programme focusing public sector efforts on achieving improved results in health, education, law and order, work, housing, and the environment.
• National Security Strategy New Zealand's national security strategy providing strategic direction for national security, intelligence, counter-terrorism, cyber security, and critical infrastructure protection.
• National Risk and Resilience Framework Framework addressing national risks including hazards, threats, and strategic crisis management to improve New Zealand's resilience.
• Cyber Security Strategy Strategy covering cyber security priorities, ransomware advice, and United Nations Cybercrime Treaty implementation.
• Long-term Insights Briefings Forward-looking briefings providing long-term insights on national security and resilience topics.
• Intelligence and Security Act 2017 Resources Resources explaining the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, including powers, warrants, oversight, and case studies.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Public Service CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPMC works alongside the Public Service Commission to manage public sector performance and build policy capability across the New Zealand public service.
• The TreasurycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPMC partners with The Treasury in managing public sector performance and providing coordinated economic and financial policy advice to government.
• Victoria University of WellingtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn March 2025, DPMC partnered with Victoria University on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) research to support New Zealand policy and practice.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves24 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• UK Cabinet Office: Supports the UK Prime Minister and Cabinet through coordinated policy advice, national security coordination, and constitutional/governance support. Operates an analogous Cabinet Secretariat function and shares DPMC's centre-of-government mandate.
• Prime Minister's Office (UK) - 10 Downing Street: Directly supports the UK Prime Minister in policy and political matters, with comparable whole-of-government coordination function. Plays a similar role to DPMC's Private Office and Chief Executive functions combined.
• Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia): Australian equivalent central agency providing policy advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, coordinating national security, and supporting whole-of-government policy. The most direct organisational analogue to DPMC.
• Privy Council Office (Canada): Canadian central agency providing non-partisan advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, supporting national security coordination, and providing Cabinet secretariat services. Highly comparable to DPMC's mandate and structure.
• Prime Minister's Office (New Zealand): The PM's Private Office provides personal and political support to the Prime Minister, intentionally kept separate from DPMC's impartial advice function. Together the two form the integrated PM support structure analogous to other Westminster systems.
• Public Service Commission (New Zealand): Manages public sector performance and builds policy capability across New Zealand's public service. Strategic partner to DPMC with overlapping mandates in policy capability and public service leadership.
• The Treasury (New Zealand): New Zealand's lead economic and fiscal policy advisor and a core strategic partner to DPMC. Both agencies serve as central agencies providing coordinated policy advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on overlapping economic and strategic matters.
• Department of Government and Public Administration (Australian Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio): Within the Australian PM&C portfolio, the Domestic Policy and National Security divisions provide comparable functions to DPMC's National Security and Resilience Group and Policy Advisory Group.
• Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand): Sibling New Zealand central agency that took over hosting of NEMA from DPMC in September 2025. Operates as a broader central government department with significant operational reach, including local government and community-facing services.

Broad incumbents

• Executive Office of the President (United States): Larger US apparatus supporting the President's decision-making, with a broader portfolio of offices (OMB, NSC, CEA). Compares to DPMC but at greater scale and with a wider operational footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/deptpmnz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-the-prime-minister-and-cabinet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet