Our partnerships – working across government
MBIE can make the most impact by coordinating and sharing information within our organisation, across government and with industry and communities.
On this page
Sharing information, good practice and business intelligence within MBIE and across government improves all our operational functions and regulatory stewardship.
Cooperation was critical to help create a new Ministry
MBIE was part of a cross-agency team that set up the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this year. Working to a tight timeframe, the Ministry was established on 1 August 2018 and was operational by 1 October 2018.
MBIE, the Treasury, the Ministry of Social Development and the State Services Commission worked together to identify the teams and policy groups that would be needed to set up a new Ministry. MBIE provided the corporate infrastructure for a seamless transition of teams and services.
The new Ministry is the Government’s lead advisor on housing and urban development, helping to improve access to affordable housing and to lift the performance of our urban areas.
Unlocking regional New Zealand's potential through the Provincial Growth Fund
With the establishment of the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), the Government is supporting our regions so all New Zealanders, regardless of where they live, can participate fully in an economy that is sustainable, inclusive and productive.
The PGF is investing $3 billion in New Zealand’s regions.
The majority of the PGF is administered by the Provincial Development Unit (PDU). The PDU was established in 2018 as a business unit of MBIE and works across government and with industry, communities, iwi and local government.
The PDU is set up to drive sustainable regional economic development by supporting projects that create employment, increase environmental sustainability, diversify and develop the regional economy and raise the wellbeing of people living in the regions.
The PDU works with other government agencies, such as the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ministry of Transport, Te Puni Kōkiri and the Department of Conservation to ensure PGF-funded projects are coordinated and effective.
The PDU regularly monitors and engages with successful applicants to ensure projects are progressing well. The PDU also reports regularly on the PGF’s performance to Ministers and Cabinet. Confirmation of the PGF evaluation framework is underway to ensure the impact of its investments and their outcomes can be tracked. There will be an evaluation of the PGF completed by the end of 2020 to give and early indication of the short-term effectiveness of the fund’s operations and investments. A longer-term evaluation will also be done at a later date when the impacts of the PGF’s investments can be fully assessed.
The PDU received 854 funding proposals in the 2018/19 financial year, its first full year of operation. 215 proposals were approved for funding in the 2018/19 year, resulting in an investment in New Zealand’s regions of $855,525,007. (Note, other agencies also administer parts of the PGF).
Photo: www.ManawatuNZ.co.nz
Better for business – better for everyone
Better for Business (B4B) is an MBIE-led cross-agency programme focused on making it easier for businesses to deal with government. The 10 participating agencies collectively make up 83 per cent of the interactions a business would normally have with government.
Together the agencies work on initiatives that make services to businesses more consistent and coordinated. The use of digital technologies and innovative approaches to service design and delivery are important to achieving these goals.
Small businesses make up 97 per cent of all New Zealand businesses, and when they thrive so do our communities and whānau. We want to enable firms to be more productive by spending less time dealing with government and more time on their business.
Key B4B partners include the New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) and business.govt.nz. The work includes the long-term business research monitor; business life events framework; Better rules – better outcomes initiative; and its core initiative Business Connect.
B4B links to several Public Sector strategies, including a Unified Public Service; the Small Business strategy and the strategy for a Digital Public Service.
Innovation event showcases the latest ideas
The latest in new ideas, products and services were showcased in April at the third All-of-Government Innovation Showcase in Wellington. Led by B4B and the Office of the Government Chief Digital Officer, the showcase focused on government-wide digital, innovative and collaborative projects. The showcase was an opportunity to be inspired by how agencies are working together to make access to government services easier, more consistent and more coordinated.
Banks join attack on fraudsters
A nationwide campaign to tackle fraud was boosted this year with the Banking Ombudsman joining 12 government agencies to spread the word about scams, raise awareness through banks and telecommunications channels, and to launch the first television campaign.
MBIE’s Consumer Protection team has been coordinating the cross-agency campaign for the past five years.
In addition to Fraud Awareness Week, the team collaborates with government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector on the Interagency Fraud Working Group to inform consumers and businesses about scams in New Zealand, work on interventions and share insights. They also ensure people who have been affected by scams find the most appropriate place to get help.
G-REG: building the professionalism and lifting the capability of the New Zealand regulatory practice
G-REG, the Government Regulatory Practice Initiative, is improving the quality and consistency of regulatory practice in the public sector. This year G-REG launched its website: g-reg.govt.nz.
G-REG was set up in 2015 by central and local government chief executives to improve regulatory practice across three pillars: developing people capability, developing organisational capability and building a professional community.
One of G-REG’s key features is joining up central and local government in a way that has not happened before.
Annual conferences are held each year in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland; regulatory stewardship and best practice guidelines have been developed; and opportunities for cross-agency peer-to-peer learning contribute towards the aim of improving the professionalisation of the regulatory workforce.
MBIE hosts the G-REG Secretariat and is one of several agencies collaborating on the initiative and building a community of regulators.
Crown entities we partner with
We work in partnership with 25 Crown entities providing oversight and support.
Text version of Crown entities we partner with