Vote Statistics Four Year Plan 2017/18 - 2020/21 - Stats NZ
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Vote Statistics Four Year Plan 2017/18 – 2020/21
Contents
Chief Executive Overview ............................................................................................................................ 3
Executive Summary................................................................................................................................. 4
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 6
About this document .......................................................................................................................... 7
Our drivers............................................................................................................................................ 7
Our strategic risks................................................................................................................................ 9
Strategic Direction................................................................................................................................. 10
Our vision ........................................................................................................................................... 10
Our purpose ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Our goals ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Our future state ................................................................................................................................. 11
Target operating model .................................................................................................................... 13
Our change risks ................................................................................................................................ 13
Strategic Execution ............................................................................................................................... 14
What we are going to prioritise ........................................................................................................ 14
Delivery challenges and approach .................................................................................................. 14
Stats NZ’s strategic priorities and results ....................................................................................... 16
MEASURING OUR SUCCESS .................................................................................................................. 36
Our performance framework ........................................................................................................... 36
2
Chief Executive Overview
It is with great pleasure that I present Stat NZ’s 2017-2021 Four Year Plan.
Stats NZ has responded to an unexpected challenge since this plan was first drafted. With the damage to
Statistics House in the 14 November 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, Stats NZ staff have pulled together to
continue to deliver to our key customers while we restored our systems and found and settled into
alternative accommodation. I am proud of the dedication and patience shown by all Stats NZ staff
through this difficult time and will always be grateful that the quake did not occur during working hours.
Although this experience has affected our entire organisation in some way, we remain committed to our
strategic direction and the priorities and results outlined in this plan. We continue to work through the
financial and delivery impacts of the earthquake, which have been integrated into the final version of this
plan. We continue to be excited by the future of data in New Zealand and the role that Stats NZ can play in
creating a society where access and use of good data is fundamental to the national character.
In an era of increasing ‘truthiness’1 in the public arena, the role of good data in decision making has never
been more important. This plan outlines our vision for the data ecosystem, our role in it, and how we are
building the foundations for an exciting -data and analytics future for New Zealand. We are proud to be
leading in this area at this exciting time for New Zealand.
Our approach continues to be driven by an ‘outside-in’ focus, as foreshadowed in last year’s plan, with co-
design and relationships with partners and intermediaries featuring in this plan. We therefore look
forward to working with our current and future customers, stakeholders, suppliers, intermediaries and
partners to deliver on the priorities and results in this plan to set up a data ecosystem that will take New
Zealand into our exciting data-savvy future.
Liz MacPherson
Government Statistician and Chief Executive
December 2016
1
Coined by Stephen Colbert, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truthiness
3
Executive Summary
The data that New Zealanders generate as they go about their daily lives interacting with government, with
businesses, with educational and health providers, with their environment and with each other is one of
our most strategic and precious assets. How we use this information asset to unlock opportunities and
solve complex problems while maintaining the trust and confidence of the very people who generate this
precious resource, is something that will define us as a nation. Data is, after all, fundamentally about
people and their stories.
For government the challenge is particularly acute – the transactional data that it gathers through its
interactions with citizens can be used to provide better services to those citizens. It can help tell us
whether programmes and activities are actually making a difference for people or not. Used well, data can
deliver a ‘jolt of reality’. Open data, and particularly open government data, can provide opportunities for
challenge and co-design of services to the community, by the community. But, to enable release of the
potential of the data to change and improve lives, all of this needs to be achieved while maintaining and
enhancing the social licence the community provides. Fundamentally, this means the people and
organisations that wish to use the data need to be able to demonstrate the real value that we as New
Zealanders will receive – better services, healthier and safer lives, better prospects for us and ongoing
generations, an environment that is sustainable and that sustains us.
The State Services Commissioner, in his role as Head of State Services together with Public Service CEs has
proposed a programme to refresh the Better Public Services Programme (BPS2). The BPS2 Programme
has building customer-centred services and achieving better outcomes for New Zealanders at its core.
One of the main elements of the programme is action to ensure that the contribution of data and analytics
to provide better results and services is maximised with a focus on strong cross-system leadership of data and
analytics being seen as central to the programme as a whole. The BPS2 programme recognises that in
order to reap the benefits of our data assets, particularly those held by government, we need to be
thinking about data as an ecosystem. Just as in an environmental ecosystem, actions taken by players in
the system – what they collect, how they collect it, how it is managed, curated, analysed, modelled and
made available – impacts on the functioning of the rest of the system. To achieve this we need an agency
that has the incentives, the capability and the mandate to lead and support the wider system to unlock the
potential of data – including new and exciting data sources – while maintaining a focus on social licence.
Stats NZ is New Zealand’s data agency. We are the only government agency that lives, breathes and
dreams data. While for most others data is a by-product of their core business, for us data and creating
value from it and with New Zealanders is our core business. Our core capability is the ability to curate,
transform and enrich data so that we and others can use it. Because we reuse data from others – central
and local government agencies, businesses, community organisations and individuals – no one has a
greater incentive to care about the data ecosystem and the way it works as whole. Our reputation for
impartiality and ‘telling it like it is’ has earned us the trust and confidence of the public.
Ever since we redefined Stats NZs vision as being about unleashing the power of data and identified one of
our strategic roles as being about ‘data stewardship’, we have been progressively both stepping further
into and preparing ourselves to play a stronger leadership role in data and analytics for the data
ecosystem. Our Four Year Plans have been designed to take us in this direction. Trying to anticipate and
build towards the system’s needs for broader data and analytics leadership and the provision of broader
data services off a baseline that is largely geared towards the provision of statistics has been extremely
challenging.
4
We are therefore delighted that Stats NZ has been recognised by the Head of State Services and asked to
take a leadership role for data and analytics across government. In this role we will be leading the Data
and Analytics element of the BPS2 programme, working with Public Service CEs to ensure the system
supports the use of data and analytics to achieve improved outcomes for New Zealanders. The aim is for
data to fuel a revolution in the way in which government interacts with citizens – from the way policy is
developed and evaluated to the way in which services are consumed, targeted and provided. Our
commitment to an ‘outside- in’ approach means we are not going to take this journey on our own, but will
work with partners inside and outside of government to build a resilient, effective and useful resource for
current and future generations.
This plan articulates our path in the short and medium term. It outlines the results we want to achieve, by
when, and the resources we are going to need to get there. This is a story of growth and it will necessitate
building and expanding on our strengths, which will require either additional capacity or significant trade-
offs.
5
Introduction
Stats NZ’s purpose is to empower decisions by adding value to New Zealand’s most important data and
our vision is to unleash the power of data to change lives.
We gather data on a wide range of topics such as income, housing, the environment, the economy,
education, and social well-being. This rich information helps people decide where to locate a business,
what products to sell, where we need roads, schools and hospitals as well as measuring environmental
progress, quality of life and how families are doing. It also inform key economic decisions, for example
those made by the Reserve Bank. Statistics are used by all decision makers, including the government,
local councils, Māori, business and the general public, to help make decisions so that New Zealand’s
economy, people, communities, and environment can thrive.
We are funded through government appropriations in 2017/18 for the following:
A total of nearly $52 million for the delivery of data and statistical information services relating to
business and the economy.
A total of nearly $49 million for the 2018 Census of Population and Dwellings.
A total of just under $42 million for the delivery of data and statistical information services relating
to population, environment, household economics, social conditions, and the labour market.
A total of just under $28 million for system leadership for data and analytics across the public
sector, oversight of the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), statistical and data management
advice and the operation of access channels.
A total of $10 million for departmental capital expenditure.
A total of nearly $4 million for Services to Other Agencies including lead agency in the Christchurch
and Wellington co-location of Crown Agencies.
A total of nearly $2 million for the Data Futures Partnership to lead the development of innovative
solutions to data-use problems in New Zealand.
Stats NZ has traditionally added value to New Zealand through the collection, processing and analysis of
data to create Official Statistics. Because of our expertise in data management and protection, we have
been trusted with the mandate to lead the Official Statistics System (OSS). This function has been
performed reliably and with care to provide statistics that are robust and relevant to inform decision
making in New Zealand. However, our environment is changing and, while we must retain our core role as
a trusted and independent provider of official statistics, we are growing and adapting to respond to our
changing environment.
Stats NZ plays an increasingly central leadership role in the data ecosystem, which encompasses all data,
its suppliers and users in New Zealand. We are being called on to deliver greater value to the data and
analytics community. This evolving and expanding role is reflected in the strategic direction outlined in
this document.
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About this document
This four year plan outlines Stats
NZ’s strategic direction and how
we are going to execute it. It is a
companion document to our 2017
budget bid submissions and
provides the context and rationale
for our submissions.
Our four year plan is also the
backbone of our internal planning
and performance framework. It
sets out the priorities and results
that will inform internal decision-
making in the organisation,
particularly focusing on how the
near future years will connect and
enable the out-year results and
Figure 1: Stats NZ planning and performance framework
strategic direction.
This plan is one of a suite of documents
that form our planning and performance framework, which includes other accountability documents, such
as the annual report, and internal documents, such as our annual organisational plan.
Our drivers
Our strategic direction does not stand alone. It responds to, is influenced by and impacts on our operating
environment. Although drivers in the modern environment are complex for all organisations, the following
drivers are of particular importance for Stats NZ’s strategic direction.
Government and Minister’s Priorities
Our strategic direction and priorities are in line with Government priorities to responsibly manage the
Government’s finances, build a more competitive and productive economy, deliver better public services,
and rebuild Christchurch. The current better public service (BPS) results, particularly those relating to
improving interaction with government (results 9 and 10), also provide key direction. The next version of
BPS results (BPSR 2) are fundamental to Stats NZ’s system leadership role in data and data analytics.
Our strategic priorities for the next four years are built on our Minister’s Priorities, as more fully discussed
in the strategic execution section of this plan.
The dynamic nature of our environment
The Government continues to drive to progress the public sector approach towards an evidence based,
data driven policy decision-making platform. The pace of external social and technological change
continues to intensify and Stats NZ needs to move into a position where it is thriving rather than surviving
in this complex environment.
It can safely be assumed that the dynamism of our environment, particularly the role of data in society, will
continue to rapidly evolve alongside continued exponential technological development. Stats NZ’s
strategic direction is designed to set us up to succeed in a dynamic environment, and, as we focus on
7
execution in this four year plan, maintaining a clear line of sight to our environment and our role in it will
be of critical importance.
Stats NZ’s role in the data sector
Stats NZ has a critical and developing role as the system leader in New Zealand’s data ecosystem. Data is
increasingly important and, along with it, Stats NZ’s role in the sector as the trusted curator of a wide
range of data for New Zealand is growing. Our role places us in a unique position. As the data system
matures, Stats NZ needs to solidify its mandate as leader and steward. The transfer of open data from
LINZ in March 2017 supports our leadership role. The relationships between players in the system are key
to our success, and centrally driven changes to the way data and information is managed by government
are important to our role. Stats NZ in partnership with other players in the system will be central to
developing the delivery and policy model to lead New Zealand into a data positive future. This includes
our leadership role in the statistics and data legislation review.
We also have a role in the international sector. Maintaining awareness of and contributing to international
trends and connecting with data agencies in other countries (such as the Netherlands and the UK) will
position us to enhance New Zealand’s data and analytics capabilities.
Pressure to address customer need
The pressure to address customer need remains a central driver for Stats NZ. As noted above, the data
environment is quickly evolving and we need to respond at pace to ensure we are delivering what is
needed in an ever changing landscape. The pressure from customers is a problem borne of success as we
become increasingly responsive, working alongside our customers, building partnerships and developing
intermediary relationships. We recognise the critical importance that being driven by a customer centric,
outside-in view with innovation at its core is for our continuing success across all spheres of our business.
We also need to ensure we are intentional in our choices and recognise what we are uniquely able to
deliver and where other parts of the system might be better placed to deliver to system requirements.
Challenge to change
There is general acknowledgement that Stats NZ has stepped up in the last two years to respond to the
challenge set out in the 2014 Performance Improvement Framework Review (PIF) which helped shape our
Strategic Direction.
We have developed a strong, positive, customer-centric strategic direction and we have widely engaged
our workforce, which understands and supports the direction, as reflected in the 2016 Staff Engagement
Survey.2 Equally, Stats NZ key customers, including government agencies, NGOs delivering government
services, researchers and the analytical community, support the strategic direction and the progress that
Stats NZ has made over the last two years.
But, from the perspective of the customer, much more is wanted and more quickly. Although Stats NZ has
actively been delivering with greater pace, the pace of change in our environment has been just as, if not
more, rapid. The challenge for Stats NZ is to increase its pace to deliver against its strategic direction and
further develop its system leadership role in the data ecosystem.
2
68.1% of staff indicated in the 2016 Staff Engagement Survey that they thought the organisation had a clear vision of
where it’s going and how it’s going to get there, an increase of 5% from last year and 8% above the State Sector
benchmark.
8
This is reflected in the follow-up PIF review completed in October 2016. It summarises that:
“The significant progress Statistics New Zealand has made towards achieving the 2014 performance
challenge will serve the agency well in future. The agencies new overarching vision of ‘Unleashing the
power of data to change lives’ is still highly relevant….The challenge Statistics NZ now faces is to prioritise
between and achieve their core offerings.”
Focus on a sustainable core
A sustainable core is not only about continuing financial viability, although this is vitally important. It also
includes maintaining social licence, delivery to stakeholder and customer expectations and value to the
tax-payer. Our strategic direction is a story of growth and development into areas our customers and
stakeholders are demanding from us, and the execution of it will be a strong driver for the agency to
deliver its current business with the greatest efficiency possible. However, it also means we may need to
make some tough decisions about which areas to focus on above others in order to continue to deliver
statistics for making critical decisions and expanding our data services.
Our strategic risks
In light of the opportunities and challenges the external drivers present, Stats NZ is managing a number of
strategic risks, which will contribute to our success and the coherence of the government data ecosystem.
Our medium term priorities (outlined in pages 17-34 of this plan) directly respond to and mitigate these
strategic risks as the process of developing and defining these risks is an important part of our Executive
planning cycle and has contributed to our decisions about how we will execute our strategy.
1. If we fail to grow, adapt and respond with pace to our changing environment, we will be unable to
deliver on our roles, our core offerings, or our value proposition and will lose relevance as a leader in
the data ecosystem.
2. If we fail to understand customer needs, put them at the centre of everything we do and respond to
them with pace and dynamism, we will be unable to deliver value through our core offerings or to
achieve our vision to unleash the power of data to change lives.
3. If we fail to align governance, prioritisation, processes and technology with the right culture, people
capabilities and financial resource, we will be unable to achieve the high levels of organisational
efficiency and effectiveness required to deliver the value sought through our roles and core offerings.
4. If we do not communicate well with New Zealanders on how government will manage and use
information, we may lose our social licence.
5. If we fail to continue development of our workforce capability, leadership ability and workplace
character, we will be unable to deliver change or increase our value proposition.
6. If we are unable to steward the supply and use of information across the data ecosystem, we may be
unable to provide New Zealand with statistics for critical decision making.
7. If we fail to develop clarity and focus as data ecosystem leader, we will be unable to encourage and
support other players in the data ecosystem.
9
Strategic Direction
Our current strategic direction was first fully articulated in our 2016-20 Four Year Plan and is reflected in
our 2016-20 Strategic Intentions. In this Four Year Plan, we summarise the key points of the direction and
focus in more detail on strategy execution in the next section.
Figure 2: Stats NZ strategic direction
Our
vision
‘Unleashing the power of data to change lives’ underpins everything that Stats NZ does. Our vision is a
step change – from an organisation that provided statistics on specific topics to an organisation that now
unleashes data to be used to change the lives of all New Zealanders. This vision is at the heart of
Government’s drive for evidence-based policy and service design, and delivery and innovation to support
social and economic growth that improves life outcomes for all New Zealanders. This vision is not just for
Stats NZ, but speaks to our leadership role in the broader data ecosystem and the value of data held
across the system.
Our purpose
‘Empowering decisions by adding value to New Zealand’s most important data’ is the reason Stats NZ
exists. This is the key reason Stats NZ is funded by the Government and is the key service we provide to
New Zealand. We do this by providing statistics for making critical decisions and enabling data to be
unleashed for wider use.
10Our goals
As demonstrated in our 2016 Annual Report, we are well
on our way to delivering our first goal to double the value
of data provided by Stats NZ by 2018. This is a goal
largely driven by organisational capability. The second,
to create a tenfold increase in the value of data provided
to New Zealand by 2030, is driven by system capability
and is enabled through the stewardship and leadership
focus of our strategic direction.
Our future state
Our future state is built on four footings - our roles, our
core offerings, our character and our strategic delivery
model. They define what and how we deliver, who we
are and how we act. Our performance framework (Figure
Figure 3: Stats NZ roles
15, p. 18) replicates this structure, which acts as the
cornerstone of delivery of our strategic
direction.
Roles
How we work and our scope of work has
changed from our historical remit as a provider
of official statistics to a new expanded remit
focusing on unleashing the power and value of
data. This is being achieved by expanding our
role as an enabler, innovator and steward of
data (Figure 3). The expected scale of change
to achieve this over the next fifteen years is
significant. Our data and analytics system
leadership role underpins the delivery of our
roles and our core offerings.
Core offerings
The expansion of our core offerings
accompanies the expansion of roles. Our
offerings are what our customers can expect us Figure 4: Stats NZ core offerings
to deliver (Figure 4). As discussed more fully in
the strategy execution section of this plan, Stats NZ
will focus on different core offerings over time as
required to deliver against our roles and to build a
systematic approach to delivery.
Character
Our character describes the behaviours that are
driving Stats NZ to achieve our strategic direction
and the challenge to deliver it at pace (Figure 5). Figure 5: Stats NZ character
11Strategic Delivery Model
Figure 6: Stats NZ value model
Our strategic delivery model enables us to unleash data at any point of the six data and organisational
functions - discover, explore, shape, source, sustain, enrich.
Figure 6 places these functions within the context of our roles (provider, innovator, enabler, steward), the
data ecosystem and our vision. When placed together, these components make up our ‘value model’; that
is, how we are going to ultimately add value to data.
Discover – We seek to understand and learn from our customers and other participants in the data
ecosystem
Explore – We experiment with new data sources, methods and products to meet changing and emerging
needs
Shape – We create and provide robust, integrated, and easily accessible anonymised data, as close as
possible to its natural form
Source – We source and access data in ways that are efficient and maximise reuse
Sustain – We conserve New Zealand’s most important information assets so they retain their value and
remain accessible
Enrich – We enrich New Zealand’s most important data and provide quality insights in ways that are
meaningful to our customers
Unleash – We unleash the power of data and statistics through our service offerings
Changing lives – We enable New Zealanders to make informed decisions to positively change lives
12Target operating model
We will know we have achieved
our strategic direction when we
are operating as described in
Figure 7.
We will be delivering on our
value proposition, which
incorporates our core offerings,
roles, our service delivery, the
way we work with
intermediaries and our ability
to unleash data at any point of
our model.
Our organisational capabilities
will have developed to deliver
against the key areas of
process, organisation,
technology, suppliers, people
capabilities and organisational
culture, and enterprise
performance management
metrics.
Our change risks
As we focus our efforts and
resources to drive sustainable
change, we are managing the
following risks. Our priorities
have been developed to
address and respond to these
risks.
1. If we fail to achieve the
identified changes required for Figure 7: Stats NZ target operating model
key shifts to how we do things,
we will be unable to meet our four strategic priorities.
2. If we are unable to change how we work through an expansion of our role, we will be unable to
achieve the transformational change required to unleash the power and value of data.
13Strategic Execution
What we are going to prioritise
The discussions and decisions that informed this document focused on addressing the following questions
about delivering our strategic direction. What things do we need to prioritise over others to best meet
customers’ needs? How do we sequence our efforts? Where are trade-offs most necessary and what are the
implications for customers? How do we refocus our investment to deliver our strategy and at what points
do we need to seek additional investment?
Clarity on what we need to focus on and when is fundamental to the successful execution of our Strategic
Direction. To best serve the data ecosystem and New Zealand as a whole, we need to be clear about what
we are going to deliver as the system leader of the data ecosystem and what we need to encourage,
collaborate and support other parts of the data ecosystem to deliver. We need to be clear about how our
programme of work will be sequenced so that the data system generates increased value as early as
possible.
In executing our strategy, we are committed to continuing to deliver the core activities of the organisation,
such as delivery of New Zealand’s statistics for critical decision-making and the curation of the Integrated
Data Infrastructure (IDI). At the same time, an increasingly critical focus for us is the development of our
system leadership role. We are committed to collaborating and partnering across the system, drawing on
existing networks of data stewards and expertise, to anticipate needs for and facilitate development of a
responsive and sustainable data system. . In the short term, our priority for customers is to enable self-
service and our internal focus is digital channels.
We have expressed the following plan in terms of ‘priorities’ and ‘results’. As described more fully below,
these priorities and results are aligned with Ministerial direction and support the data and analytics system
leadership role that Stats NZ has been mandated to deliver on behalf of the New Zealand government.
Stats NZ has four strategic priorities in the medium term:
1. Leadership and Stewardship: Assume both a leadership and stewardship role by positioning the
department as the centre of government excellence and to support development of a responsive
and sustainable data system
2. Customer centricity, partnership and intermediaries: Enable customers, including decision-makers,
to maximise the value of existing data, and partner and work with the private and non-government
sector to explore opportunities to create additional value from data, and improve service delivery
3. Data focus: Experiment, test, and adopt innovative ways in which data is derived, collected,
analysed, provided, and communicated to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
4. Organisational efficiency and effectiveness: Ensure Stats NZ is operationally efficient and effective
so that it is positioned to enable New Zealand to unleash the power of data to change lives
Figure 8: Stats NZ Strategic Priorities
Delivery challenges and approach
Each of the priorities is supported by a number of ‘results’ over the four years of this plan (Figure 10). For
short term decision-making, the following four results have been prioritised as ‘key results’ in 2017-18.
They are presented below in their order of priority:
1. Delivering statistics for making critical decisions (result 2.7)
2. Set up system leadership of data and data analytics in New Zealand (result 1.1)
3. Enable customer self-service for data (result 2.4)
4. Strengthen digital channels (result 3.1)
14The Census of Population and Dwellings for 2018 is moving increasingly towards a digital census using
online channels and administrative data. Funding has been secured through Budget 2017 to continue
exploration of long term options to transform the census and enable Stats NZ to explore new data sources
and develop new approaches that allow greater use and reuse of data for policy making, research, and
service design and delivery.
We deliver leadership of the official statistics system, including the provision of statistical standards for use
by the providers of official statistics in NZ. However, a step change is required to expand this role to one
that incorporates broader standards and governance required to facilitate greater use and re-use of
government data.
We have developed and provide the Integrated Data Infrastructure through investment funding secured in
Budget 2015. However, the IDI has grown exponentially since its introduction, well beyond the initial
funding parameters. Stats NZ has absorbed the success as well as it can, but it is not a sustainable position.
More broadly, we need to address the quality of data and the leadership needed within the system. Agencies
have told us they need help using standards, NGOs and others need help locating data wherever it is held
across government, and we have heard from Ministers that greater coordination is needed around where to
invest and prioritise resource.
Stats NZ, and indeed the whole data ecosystem, is at a critical juncture. The decisions made across the sector
will determine whether the government data system is on track to harness and leverage the power of
standardised and integrated data, or whether we continue to have pockets of excellence within a fragmented
data landscape. It is imperative that investment is coordinated to build coherent foundational elements
needed for the overall sustainability and value creation of the data ecosystem.
15We are managing a number of operational risks as we implement our plan:
1. If we do not maintain momentum in developing our culture and organisational character, we will
be unable to work with the innovation and agility required to deliver our core offerings and maximise
value for our customers.
2. If we lose focus on our strategic priorities and the holistic changes required, we will fail to optimise
benefits outlined in our strategic priorities.
3. If our efforts to develop customer relationships and partnerships are ineffective, we will be unable
to explore opportunities to create additional value from data, and improve service delivery.
4. If we lose public trust and confidence in our ability to balance openness and sharing of data, data
sovereignty, and privacy, confidentiality and security, we will be unable to provide stewardship and
data leadership in the data ecosystem.
Stats NZ’s strategic priorities and results
Each of our four strategic priorities are supported by results stepped out over the next four financial years.
The sequencing reflects what results will be completed in each year. Work on some results may begin some
years before the result is achieved. For example, work began in 2015/16 on a statistics and data legislation
review and is projected to be completed in 2019/20 (Result 1.10 – The system is supported by legislation that
is simple and flexible).
For each strategic priority, we identify the Minister’s priorities it supports and what the world will look like
when it is achieved. Our results for the next two years are presented in detail and the out-years are provided
in outline. This layered approach reflects Stats NZ’s agile approach to planning and delivery. Over the four
year horizon, the route we take to get to the out-year results will be more fully developed as we iterate
towards them. We note, where possible, the activities and projects that will contribute to the achievement
of each result.
Two types of results are identified – those about delivery of products or services to customers and those that
are more internally focused. These are colour coded in the figures provided - the overview (Figure 10) and
the figures associated with each priority (Figures 11-14).
Key shifts are also identified for each of the priorities. While the results speak to ‘what’ we will achieve (and,
as a consequence, what we will notice changed in our environment), the key shifts speak to ‘how’ we will
achieve the results. They describe how we will be doing things differently to enable the results. Many of our
key shifts will be enabled through the implementation of our capability blueprint and enterprise
architecture framework. They primarily relate to the 2017/18 year, but some are longer term and will take
some time to fully realise.
We note that there are a large number of results in this plan. This is intentional and is due to the level of
specificity we have sought in each result. Rather than fewer, less specific results, we have set results at a
level that best guides our internal decision-making processes, ensuring that the concepts associated with
each result are clear. We recognise, however, that a large number of results can complicate decision making
if their relative priority is not well understood. With that in mind, we have identified the four key results in
2017/18 that will be prioritised above others. The four results are also presented in priority order (Figure 9).
16Stats NZ has four key results in the short term (2017/18):
1. Delivering statistics for making critical decisions (result 2.7)
2. Set up functional leadership of big data and data analytics in New Zealand (result 1.1)
3. Enable customer self service for data (result 2.4)
4. Strengthen digital channels (result 3.1)
Figure 9: Statistics NZ 2017/18 Key Results
1718 Figure 10: overview of Stats NZ strategic priorities and results
Strategic priority 1: leadership and stewardship
Relates to Minister’s Priority:
Play a leadership and stewardship role as the centre of government excellence in the New Zealand data
ecosystem
Description
The intention of this priority is to provide enduring cohesion to the data ecosystem. Stats NZ will steward
and curate New Zealand’s data asset now and for the future by working in partnership with, and providing
direction to, custodians of data within the system. We will provide leadership that enables data and data
analytics on behalf of the entire public service. When this priority is achieved, Stats NZ will have enabled
data to be available to drive innovation and value for New Zealand. Good processes and capability will be
established and embedded across the system to source and use data. Stats NZ will have created and be
supporting a data ecosystem that is trusted by New Zealanders.
Results
Figure 11: Strategic Priority 1 results (2017/18-20/21)
2017/18
1.1 System leadership role of data and analytics is developed (KEY RESULT)
This result is one of Stats NZ’s key results for 2017/18. As part of the Better Public Services programme, in
this cross government role Stats NZ will support agencies to realise the potential of data to improve
outcomes for New Zealand. Stats NZ will collaborate and partner across the system, drawing on existing
networks of data stewards and expertise, to anticipate needs for and facilitate development of a
responsive and sustainable data system. Barriers will be removed and transaction costs associated with
data and analytics reduced, ensuring others can deliver. We will support existing initiatives and assist
scaling for system use and impact. This result will see common approaches and shared architecture
developed that agencies can easily adopt. When this result is fully delivered, Stats NZ will deliver three
types of services – the system leadership role for data and analytics, the delivery of statistics for making
critical decisions and data and analytics services for New Zealand.
191.2 Data is stewarded and curated as a strategic asset
This result will see Stats NZ stewarding NZ’s most important and trusted data (as distinct from holding it all)
so that it is an enduring resource and available to current and future generations. It will include working in
partnership with Māori to steward data for and about Māori as part of Treaty of Waitangi obligations with
the Crown. The result includes putting in place a ‘risk-based’ framework that supports strategic
management of NZ’s data assets into the future, including legislation, regulation, statements of practice,
and quality assurance. Although this result is an area of particular focus in 2017/18, data stewardship and
curation will be an enduring function of Stats NZ.
1.3 Social licence and public trust and confidence in the data ecosystem remains secure
This result is essential for the ongoing viability of the data ecosystem and has a whole-of-system focus. It is
an area of particular focus in 2017/18, but will be an enduring requirement to enable all other results. To
achieve this result, the balance between openness and sharing of data with data sovereignty, privacy,
confidentiality and security needs to be navigated. Co-designing with key partners in the system, including
Māori, Data Futures Partnership, Privacy Commissioner, SIU, and others, will be critical, as will an ongoing
dialogue with New Zealanders. Stats NZ also continues to exercise its statutory independence to address
any ‘truthiness’, that is, to be a clear voice when there are statements or issues that need correcting, and to
leverage key forums to advocate for the data ecosystem.
1.4 We have a practice in place that proactively identifies and responds to trends and emerging roles
in the data ecosystem
This result recognises that the data ecosystem is constantly changing and requires us to be dynamic in
assessing and responding to emerging trends. It will require astute judgement alongside trusting and
transparent relationships across the data ecosystem for Stats NZ to make the right calls for the overall
ecosystem and balance them with individual organisational aspirations. Activities that mature data
ecosystem capability and respond to relevant emerging trends will support the achievement of this result as
well as the development of strategic relationships and activities. This result is enabled by strategic priority 2.
2018/19
The first three of the results placed in 2018/19 build on achievements of 2017/18. They are primarily system-
focused, reflecting changes across the entire data ecosystem. The fourth delivers the first key changes to
the authorising environment, which are more fully developed in the out years of this plan.
1.5 Government is making greater use of a more diverse range of data to address critical policy
questions and drive decisions
The Government is prioritising open data and evidence-based decision making and good progress has
already been made towards this result. By 2018/19, this result will be embedded across the data ecosystem
and will set an example for other jurisdictions. Greater access to data delivered through other data-focused
results will be an enabler of this result.
1.6 Stats NZ is recognised as the data agency for the system and has established a centre of excellence
to support the system
As NZ’s pre-eminent data organisation, Stats NZ will provide leadership and coordination for the data
ecosystem. This result builds on result 1.1 in 2017/18. Stats NZ will lead the data system and work with
other data managers to ensure the overall success and interoperability of the system. When the result is
achieved, more data will be accessible and will be being used across government and increasingly more
20broadly across NZ. This result is closely linked to our steward and enabler roles and delivery of our data
services core offering.
Delivering this result to the scope that the system needs will require additional funding. A funding bid – the
DatArcade bid - was submitted as part of the Budget 2016 Data and Analytics contingency. To date funding
has been successful only for the IDI component of this bid, an additional component to put in place first
steps towards a centre of excellence for data and analytics has not yet been confirmed. Ministers requested
a scaled down version of this bid. Decisions are on hold pending confirmation of Stats NZ’s functional
leadership role. This reduced bid will enable us to progress key activity but further funding will be required
to realise the desired results. It is anticipated that Stats NZ will submit a bid for funding to support its data
system leadership role through Budget 2018. Should this contingency funding bid not be successful
progress will not be made at the pace required to support greater use of data across government. Trade-offs
will need to be considered internally to deliver with reduced scale.
It should be noted that the successful Open Government Information and Data Programme bid submitted by
LINZ in budget 2017 has been transferred to Vote Stats. The transfer recognises Stats NZ’s leadership role in
the NZ data ecosystem. This funding differs from the centre of excellence funding sought, with funds being
used to focus on supporting agencies to increase access to their data.
1.7 We actively shape, influence and respond to public attitudes about data
This result is an expansion of result 1.2 about stewardship and curation of data. This result is about Stats NZ
proactively shaping and influencing the public discourse about data, including foreshadowing and
preparing the public for future changes. This result will prioritise activities that help measure public
attitudes and engage the public in constructive dialogue with the government about data.
1.8 The system is supported by statistics legislation that is simple and flexible
Work has already commenced to revise the Statistics Act 1975, and it is intended that updated legislation
will be passed into law in 2018/19. This legislation is intended to provide a more principle based and future
proofed legislation for official statistics that is able to accommodate changes within the data landscape.
Naturally, as the forerunner to other possible legislative changes that impact on the data ecosystem, it will
ensure that it is aligned to any likely future changes to other related legislation.
2019/20 – 20/21
The final two results for our stewardship and leadership priority are set for the out-years of the planning
cycle and are more outcome-focused, providing evidence that Stats NZ has established leadership in the
system and empowered it to be more effective as a whole.
1.9 Data and information ecosystem leadership is self-sustaining and is generating greater
interoperability
This result will be the culmination of a number of years of work to bring the variable and siloed parties
within the data ecosystem into a unified interoperable system. While never finished, the significant
revolution to deliver this cohesion will largely have been completed.
1.10 The system is supported by information and data legislation that is simple and flexible
Following on from the successful implementation of the legislative framework for data, other legislation will
have been updated as required to support the effective and efficient delivery of data-led decision making.
While Stats NZ may not lead some of these pieces of work, its role as data ecosystem leader and enabler will
be crucial to ensure that the legislation parts fit together well to provide an overall cohesive authorising
environment.
21Key Shifts
These key shifts describe the internal changes and capabilities Stats NZ needs to deliver against this
strategic priority.
We have become a data agency with statistics being one large part of what we do – we have defined the
intent of the two symbiotic roles (data and statistics) and identified the points of commonality and the
points of difference; we reprioritise resources, practices and processes to meet the needs of both roles; we
have upskilled our people’s data and statistical design skills to support the data services role.
Our sector leadership is based on our expertise and influence – we have allocated resources to
proactively engage across government; we prioritise agencies with significant data transformation
programmes; our understanding of trends across the system has grown and we have identified and engaged
with partners and intermediaries critical in this environment; we are seen as the obvious data ecosystem
leader.
We have an active organisational partnership with Māori and are allocating resources to sustain the
relationship and related activities. We understand that any improvements in wellbeing for Māori have a
positive impact for all New Zealanders and our staff take responsibility for contributing to the success of
these partnerships.
Agility, responsiveness and data leadership role is geared to customer needs - data and technology
environments are designed to allow organisational responsiveness, dynamic re-prioritisation and long-term
sustainability; data and information management practices are embedded.
22Strategic priority 2: customer-centricity, intermediaries and partnerships
Relates to Minister’s Priorities:
Enable customers, including decision-makers, to maximise the value of existing data
Partner and work with the private and non-government sector to explore opportunities to create additional
value from data, and improve service delivery
Description
This priority is about Stats NZ being a customer centric organisation, focused on bringing the outside in. It is
about us creating an environment that means we are continually engaged with our customers, partners,
stakeholders and suppliers and understand their contexts. We utilise co-design approaches to develop and
deliver our services. When we have achieved this priority, involving customers at all stages of design,
delivery and development will be the norm. We will have a clear entranceway for customers and will be
agile and adaptive to new customer needs and opportunities.
In practice this includes:
Having customers and partners in the room when we are designing and developing things
Testing that we know what customers want, rather than assuming
Bringing together experts to find solutions, rather than expecting or seeking to be an expert in every
sector
Rethinking current investments, particularly our current ‘education’ effort
Supporting our Statistical Methods work area to give it a greater voice and profile as a translator and
communicator
Reframing our international work to focus on stewardship for New Zealand and collaboration that
supports our strategic direction
Balancing immediate customer needs with longer-term ‘stewardship’ assessment of opportunities and
the needs of all customers.
This priority doesn’t assume that we are the ones to respond to every customer request. It is about
understanding what we can best deliver for customers and working with others, including partners and
intermediaries, where their capabilities are better suited to meet particular customer needs. Partners and
intermediaries could potentially deliver any part of our value model. Partners are more than customers and
we will work to agreed outcomes with them that are beneficial to both parties and the data ecosystem as a
whole. Intermediaries can sit on a spectrum of relationship types, from deliberate to unintentional and
from collaborative to competitive. ‘Infomediaries’, intermediaries that don’t necessarily need to be in
contact with us, can pick up our data and deliver to new sectors without our involvement or agreement.
This priority prepares us to thrive in a new delivery scenario.
23Results
Figure 12: Strategic Priority 2 results (2017/18-20/21)
2017/18
2.1 We have an active organisational partnership with Māori
Stats NZ recognises the unique status of Māori and as an organisation values the importance of building
mutually beneficial relationships. This result will ensure we seek and embrace partnership opportunities
that assist tangata whenua to thrive and be successful as Māori.
It is important that Stats NZ understands Māori data needs to better inform their strategies for development
and improved wellbeing. We will seek to accelerate our understanding of these dimensions of Māori
wellbeing through active collaboration with Māori organisations and Treaty partners. This result assumes
that Stats NZ will make resources available and support participation by partnering groups who would
otherwise be disadvantaged from engaging with us meaningfully, or would not get the full benefit of the
partnership.
2.2 We have a recognisable Waharoa (front door) that welcomes visitation, heightens the visibility of
our services and directs opportunities to the right place
The purpose of this result is to ensure Stats NZ is easy to get hold of and do business with and it is easy to
get the data and information that is needed. The waharoa is intended to be suitable for new and existing
customers, suppliers, stakeholders, partners and intermediaries. It is intended to create the most effective
and efficient way of engaging with Stats NZ that allows for specific needs of our customers. This result does
not assume we will be working with everyone who asks for our help. Our response to new and potential
engagements will be shaped by our strategic customer segmentation and prioritisation. We will be focusing
on market gaps and purposefully not working in overloaded areas of the market.
242.3 We leverage our data services offering to deliver specific related components of the insights and
consultative approach offerings
This result is the first step towards implementing a framework that fully delivers on our insights and
consultative approach core offering results placed in the out-years of this plan. The insights and
consultative approach offerings are key mechanisms enabling the tenfold increase of the value of data
provided to New Zealand by 2030 and are therefore fundamental to the success of our strategy.
It is expected that our insights and consultative approach core offerings will become clearer as we fully
deliver on our data services core offering, as we will have a clearer picture of how data is being used and the
most effective and impactful approaches we can take to support the use of data in the ecosystem. Activities
that increase clarity of the potential scope and content of the insights and consultative approach core
offerings will be prioritised for this result.
As the framework to deliver these core offerings is developed, the financial (costs and revenue) models and
impacts of the core offerings will be established with greater clarity. It is expected that there will be a mix of
free common good and bespoke revenue generating activities within these offerings, and that some short
term investment will be required for full development.
2.4 Customer self-service is in place so customers can get what they want without our help (KEY RESULT)
This result aims to address one of the key issues raised by our customers, which is the ability to find and
draw together data sets without the assistance of Stats NZ staff. When developed, this service will enable
customers to navigate their way through the wealth of data and information available from Stats NZ
through easy to use knowledge pathways. Internally, this self-service approach will free up resources
which will be refocused to deliver on other areas of strategy. Activities prioritised in this result will include
development of tools and products that deliver data digitally and directly to the customer, such as
automated data linking and confidentiality “on the fly”.
2.5 We actively co-design with our customers and suppliers and discuss opportunities early and openly
To achieve this result, we will prioritise activities that enable functional relationships and processes for co-
design with customers, including building a systematic development approach. Co-design is a more in-
depth process than consultation as it involves working with customers in the manner of a partnership,
iteratively developing a product together that suits the needs of both parties. Activities that will be
prioritised in this result include projects and continuous improvement activities that put the customer at the
heart of the design process for new or improved products and services.
2.6 We are focused on the things we are best at and use intermediaries and skilled service providers to
take care of other functions
This result will see intentional decisions made about defining what we do best to add value for customers
and prioritising activities that enable us to develop intermediary and partnership relationships and
agreements to deliver those functions where other parties are better suited. This result also seeks to ensure
that we know where and how our data is being retooled and republished to generate increased value. It
recognises that we do not need to do everything that a customer needs, but that in being genuinely
customer centric we broker alternative data and information providers for customers where required.
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