State Sector Act 1988

Before its repeal,^[1] the State Sector Act 1988 defined what constituted the State sector organisations in New Zealand. It (along with accompanying marketisation reforms) substantially reshaped the shape of the public service and to some extent its culture. It granted ministers some role in the appointments of departmental chief executives.

State Sector Act 1988
New Zealand Parliament
Long title An Act— (a)To ensure that employees in the State services are imbued with the spirit of service to the community; and (b)To promote efficiency in the State services [and other agencies]; and (c)To ensure the responsible management of the State services; and (d)To maintain appropriate standards of integrity and conduct among employees in the State services [and other agencies]; and (e)To ensure that every employer in the State services is a good employer; and (f)To promote equal employment opportunities in the State services; and (g)To provide for the negotiation of conditions of employment in the State services [and assistance to other agencies on conditions of employment]; and (h)To repeal the State Services Act 1962, the State Services Conditions of Employment Act 1977, and the Health Service Personnel Act 1983
Royal assent	30 March 1988
Commenced	1 April 1988
Administered by	State Services Commission
Repealed by
Public Service Act 2020
Status: Repealed

The Public Service Association view is that, "By establishing the individual departmental chief executive as the employer, the Act set up one of the main mechanisms by which the old public service was broken up from the mid-1980s."^[2]