NZ agencies we trust most
Our firefighters are not only saving lives and property — they have the best reputation in the public sector. A newly released Colmar Brunton survey found Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) was at the top of the list when it came to trust, social responsibility and fairness — and in second place for leadership and success. Overall, those rankings meant FENZ had the best reputation of 50 national publicsector organisations in the country.
Tourism NZ and Maritime NZ came in second and third respectively in the Public Sector Reputation Index.
FENZ chief executive Rhys Jones said it was “very pleased” with the confidence in their 14,000 firefighters and support staff: “To do their jobs, our firefighters need people to trust them and follow their advice. The survey suggests we continue to be in a strong position for that to happen.”
Colmar Brunton group account director Grant Bell said reputation was particularly important for the public sector because government departments and agencies were ultimately answerable to New Zealanders: “Around the world, the prevailing narrative has been that trust in government and other key public institutions is in decline.”
New Zealand was bucking the global trend.
“The public-sector agencies we measure continue to improve each year on the core elements of ‘trust’, namely listening, using taxpayer money responsibly, protecting personal information and being trustworthy.”
The survey, carried out online during April and May, also asked 2750 people how agencies communicated “wellbeing” — something at the top of the Government’s agenda.
FENZ, Police, Sport NZ, NZ Defence Force, DoC, and the Ministry of Health were the only agencies viewed by more than half of Kiwis as positively impacting wellbeing.
“For each of the other 44 agencies, more than half of the population are not sure how they contribute to wellbeing.”
Bell said agencies could do better in this area by sharing with the public what they did: “The top six agencies have an obvious impact on many New Zealanders’ lives but also have a clear story around their contribution to wellbeing.
“For example, NZ Police have embraced social media as part of their strategy to have a more personal connection with Kiwis. Also, Sport NZ released their high-profile Women and Girls Sport and Active Recreation strategy late last year, focusing on participation for all New Zealanders.”
Colmar Brunton did not publish the full list as it wanted the exercise to be positive and not name and shame those perceived to be lagging.
Tourism NZ chief executive Stephen England-Hall said he was “incredibly proud”.
“Tourism is our country’s top export earner and Tourism New Zealand is working hard to ensure that the sector gives more than it takes, enriching our communities as well as our economy.”
DoC director of customer engagement Heather Peacocke said there was growing interest in conservation and huge growth in engagement through digital and social channels, and sharing stories of those working to look after New Zealand.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said he welcomed the results that ranked the organisation second for trust and in the top 10 overall for reputation: “These results and our own surveying reflect the fantastic work our staff do in communities . . . every day.”
Housing New Zealand ranked as the most improved agency.