Case Studies By Service Area
Organisational Strategy, Design & Change
“The law of the land”: review of the NZ Law Commission.
The scope
The Law Commission is an independent Crown entity funded by government. It is a central advisory body established by statute to undertake the systematic review, reform and development of the law of New Zealand.
Facing funding levels not sufficient to maintain historical levels of expenditure, the Law Commission engaged MartinJenkins to recommend how the Commission could ensure its operations were cost effective and accorded with best practice.
Our Involvement
MartinJenkins director Kevin Jenkins researched the role of the Commission and its historical expenditure patterns. He interviewed Commissioners, staff and some external stakeholders, and prepared an assessment of the situation, including identifying a range of issues. Options were developed and assessed against a set of agreed design principles.
Two rounds of consultation were embarked upon, the first with Commissioners to check facts, and the second with Commissioners and staff to elicit feedback on the substance of the proposals.
The Outcome
MartinJenkins recommended a number of key changes. These included improving governance arrangements to align with the requirements of the Crown Entities Act 2004; clarifying the respective roles of Commissioners, management and staff; a new management structure; and streamlined administrative support arrangements.
The MartinJenkins Difference
The Law Commission is an important Crown entity. MartinJenkins’ understanding of the public sector management framework, familiarity with the Crown Entities Act, and knowledge of public sector budget management enabled it to clearly identify the issues and options for change. Working closely with the client - while also maintaining sufficient distance to retain independence – resulted in a robust set of recommendations. The Commission accepted most of the recommendations, and implemented a number of changes, as noted by the President in the Commission’s 2006 Annual Report to Parliament (PDF 1867 KB).
