Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission

What Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission does

Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission is the central oversight body of the New Zealand Public Service, established under the Public Service Act 2020 and headquartered in Wellington. Originally founded as the State Services Commission in 1913 and renamed in 2019, the Commission is a Crown entity headed by the Public Service Commissioner (Sir Brian Roche) and accountable to the Minister for the Public Service. Its mandate covers appointing and employing Public Service secretaries, reviewing their performance, setting workforce standards, and investigating matters of integrity and conduct across central government departments, public service agencies, and Crown entities.

The Commission's core offerings are institutional rather than commercial. It maintains the public-facing portal publicservice.govt.nz — hosting over 1,377 publications — and operates the Performance Improvement Review Programme, which applies the Performance Improvement Model methodology to deliver independent, future-focused assessments of agencies (e.g., the June 2026 Treasury review). It also runs the Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA), a sub-brand established to accelerate digital capabilities across the public sector, and provides Official Information Act request handling services governed by the OIA 1982. Underlying technology is a content-heavy government website using Google Analytics and Google Custom Search; no public APIs, SDKs, or proprietary platforms are offered.

The Commission's business model is non-commercial: it is funded entirely through parliamentary appropriations, does not sell products or services, and has no private revenue streams, external investors, or M&A activity. It distributes guidance, data, and oversight through direct engagement with agencies and through its website, social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram), and recurring publications, with no traditional GTM motion. Customer segments are entirely internal to the New Zealand Government plus a secondary General Public stakeholder group for OIA and information access.

Name

Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission

Legal name

Public Service Commission Te Kawa Mataaho

Website

https://publicservice.govt.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission is the New Zealand Government's central oversight body for the Public Service, responsible for appointing and reviewing Public Service secretaries, conducting Performance Improvement Reviews, investigating integrity matters, and publishing workforce guidance across central government departments and Crown entities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Governance

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Public Administration (92)

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

Keywords

• Public service oversight
• Government workforce policy
• Public sector governance
• Performance improvement reviews
• Integrity and conduct

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission is the central statutory oversight body for the New Zealand Public Service. It appoints and employs Public Service secretaries, reviews agency performance through independent Performance Improvement Reviews, investigates integrity and conduct matters, and provides system-wide guidance, standards, workforce data, and advice to central government agencies and Crown entities.

Product overview

Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission operates primarily as a government oversight and guidance body rather than a product company. Its main offerings include the public-facing website (publicservice.govt.nz) providing access to Public Service information, guidance, and services; the Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA) focused on accelerating digital transformation across the public sector; the Performance Improvement Review Programme providing independent agency assessments; and Official Information Act request handling services. The organization does not offer commercial software products but rather delivers government services, regulatory guidance, and workforce data through its digital platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Performance Improvement Review Programme An initiative providing independent, future-focused assessments of public service agencies to identify actions needed to address current and future challenges, using the Performance Improvement Model methodology. For government agencies and Crown entities.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UK Cabinet Office: UK government's central coordinating ministry supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Comparable as the central executive office function, with a broader portfolio that includes civil service reform and digital delivery.
• UK Civil Service Commission: Independent UK body overseeing recruitment and selection standards for the Civil Service. Comparable oversight role on integrity, recruitment, and standards across the UK Civil Service.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada: Canadian federal department providing central oversight of public service operations, procurement, and workplace integrity. Comparable as a central government administration body with procurement and workforce oversight mandates.
• US Office of Personnel Management: US federal agency managing the civil service workforce, including policy, oversight, and accountability. Comparable remit on federal workforce integrity, conduct, and performance.
• Australian Public Service Commission: Australian federal government body responsible for promoting and upholding the values and integrity of the Australian Public Service. Most direct international analogue to Te Kawa Mataaho, with a similar mandate over integrity, conduct, and workforce policy.

Direct peers

• New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs: New Zealand government department providing central advisory, regulatory, and service delivery functions. Direct domestic peer operating under the same Public Service system that Te Kawa Mataaho oversees, often the subject of its performance reviews.
• New Zealand Treasury: New Zealand's central economic and fiscal agency, recently subject to a Performance Improvement Review by Te Kawa Mataaho. Directly comparable as a major central government organisation within the same oversight system.
• New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE): Large New Zealand central government ministry currently subject to an integrity investigation by the Public Service Commissioner. Directly comparable as a system entity under Te Kawa Mataaho's oversight and recent test case for its investigative powers.

Emerging players

• Government Digital Service (UK): UK's central digital delivery function for government services, the international analogue of New Zealand's Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA). Comparable digital transformation remit within a central government context.

Regional players

• Singapore Public Service Division: Singapore's central agency for public service transformation, workforce, and governance. Operates a similar remit on public service reform, capability development, and performance across a single national jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TeKawaMataaho
• Facebookfacebook.com/TeKawaMataaho
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/te-kawa-mataaho
• Instagraminstagram.com/peopleofthepublicservice

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission