About us
Part 1: Managing for results
A successful organisation must effectively manage towards achieving results.
The Corporation is working to meet the Government's requirements for a results-focus in all our work, as set out in the Crown Entities Act 2004. The Act specifies the Corporation's accountability requirements for working towards and reporting on results (including outcomes, objectives and impacts). Under the Act, managing for results clarifies and specifies the respective roles of the Board and the Chief Executive.
It also sets out our relationships with the responsible ministers and the Department of Building and Housing.
The Board will consider and review the Corporation's outcomes framework, and other key issues, and maintain direct engagement with the Minister of Housing to ensure our strategic direction is clear, agreed and that there are 'no surprises.' This work will further refine our outcomes framework and specify the vital few indicators that measure our results. These measures may be available from data already being compiled, or may require new or changed data compilations.
The Chief Executive and senior management will continue to ensure that every aspect of the Corporation's work and its full management planning cycle is results-focused ('managing for results'). Our business planning work will build on 'managing for results' disciplines that were introduced before the implementation of the Crown Entities Act 2004. The successful implementation requires staff to understand the Corporation's strategic direction and how they fit into the overall picture. Our communications with staff need to clearly state how their work contributes to achieving the results we seek.
There is considerable work to be done, but we are well placed to make further significant progress in achieving a results-focus across our work.
The Corporation recognises the critical importance of working with other parts of the state sector towards shared results. We will develop our relationships with state sector agencies so we contribute effectively to achieving the Government's housing-related goals. Implementation of the New Zealand Housing Strategy will be a major part of this cross-agency work.
There are other areas of state sector activity where we have a significant contribution to make. In particular, good quality housing makes a key contribution to achieving health outcomes. Warmer, well-ventilated and drier houses promote health and can prevent many diseases.
Our modernisation programmes, undertaken in consultation with the Ministry of Health, will deliver healthier housing. Also our knowledge and expertise in designing housing to deal with health issues can be used to inform policy development on building standards. Our management priority will be to identify areas where the Corporation can work with other agencies and groups, for example, working with the Ministry for Social Development and local government to achieve better social outcomes.
Organisational development and capability
We need to continually focus on enhancing our capability to maximise our contribution to the Government's desired outcomes.
The Corporation's overall organisational capability is demonstrated by our ability to organise resources to contribute effectively to achieving the Government's outcomes.
These resources include the right mix of skilled people and shared organisational values. We also need the right structures, systems, resources and relationships to work towards outcomes, measure achievements and manage financial resources.
The Corporation's organisational development work is undertaken to develop the required capabilities in our people and systems.
People: We need to continue to attract high quality staff and retain their valued skills and knowledge in a competitive labour market. We also need to invest in staff and their careers to ensure a vital and sustainable workforce.
We recognise the critical importance of maintaining capability of frontline tenancy services staff and their ability and experience to proactively manage tenancies.
Systems: We need effective information, knowledge and financial management systems to perform well.
The Corporation's organisational development focuses on the following areas.
Relationships
Our staff need to be able to work flexibly and effectively across the Corporation and with external partners and stakeholders. Our culture is founded on the following core values: 'respect, support, deliver and learn'. These values form the basis of all interactions such as our participation in cross-government initiatives, joint work with councils, tenant workshops, and staff training on ways to better connect with communities.
These skills are promoted through leadership and management programmes, as well as internal and external secondments. One example of how our staff apply these leadership and management skills is by influencing the broader housing sector through coordinating the implementation of the New Zealand Housing Strategy.
A wide range of specialist training and education opportunities are available to staff. These opportunities range from our formal induction process to technical training. Staff also have access to a growing body of knowledge emerging from research and evaluation, regional profiles, the records management programme and the intranet.
Systems improvements increase our overall effectiveness. Examples of improvements include an on-line recruitment tool, an integrated telephone and data line system, and the introduction of an electronic, two-way contractor management system.
We need to give relevant and timely responses to our customers and stakeholders. The Corporation conducted organisational reviews for our key operational groups to enhance service delivery to customers. In the longer term, business planning is driven from the bottom up through our regional action plans and other initiatives that increase our ability to deliver quality services.
We have a good understanding of our organisational health by monitoring key performance indicators (including results achieved and regular audit of compliance and risk), the research and evaluation of our products and services, and the staff satisfaction survey. This knowledge about the state of our capability, and the development goals for state services, helps to develop our capability initiatives for the next three years.
Learning and development: We will evaluate and implement a workforce planning pilot across the Corporation to ensure staff are skilled to meet future needs, and have opportunities to progress within the Corporation. The Corporation is also making an NZQA qualification available to all frontline staff.
Relationships: Staff will participate in programmes to learn more about our diverse customers and their needs, and to better manage stakeholder relationships.
Organisational systems, processes and practices: It is critical we align our systems, policies and planning to focus on our outcomes. We will introduce project management tools for our asset delivery programmes and continue to conduct research into the performance indicators for the New Zealand Housing Strategy. We will also identify critical indicators for tracking progress towards the Corporation's outcomes, prepare a knowledge strategy to support ongoing research and evaluation and policy development, and build a new website aligned with the e-government strategy to deliver e-based services in the future.
The Corporation as a good employer: We will continue to build on our comprehensive health and wellness strategy, which covers worklife balance and health and income protection insurances. We will ensure our packages are aligned to those of the state sector and meet the needs of a diverse and changing workforce.
We will continue to ensure our capabilities are appropriate for achieving our results and to monitor and review our performance on an ongoing basis. Our success will depend on our ability to maintain a skilled and talented workforce. We will closely assess the state of our people capability to develop and use this expertise appropriately.
In seeking the best-skilled staff, we aim to reflect the diversity of New Zealand society and our customer base. We expect staff to demonstrate our values through their work.
Our values are based on the ethics and values of the public service.
Respect: Understand and accept self and others.
Support: Look after the whole person and kaupapa as part of normal work.
Deliver: Our actions will match our words.
Learn: Seek to understand and grow.
We expect our staff to:
- behave with integrity, responsibility and respect
- work in ways that are responsive to the community, results-orientated and accountable
- demonstrate commitment to a whole of government approach
- serve the Government by providing free, frank and comprehensive advice
- implement decisions effectively with an awareness of the Government's priorities.
These values are developed and promoted in the workplace and through staff training, mentoring and development.
