This report challenges common perceptions of New Zealand's state sector and calls for fundamental reforms to improve its performance. It provides analysis of how the state sector functions to examine its real-world limitations and potential for improvement. 

Key findings

• Hierarchy, disengaged motivation, information limits, and lack of accountability constrain the state sector. 
• These constraints create mismatches between what state institutions are asked to do and what they can realistically achieve. 
• Recent reforms, particularly the 2020 Public Service Act, further undermine the transparency and accountability of the state sector.