From steering decision-making to stewarding cross-cutting policies, centres of government (CoGs) play a key role in achieving government ambitions. This compendium serves CoG leaders and government officials who seek to better understand the role of the centre in contributing to better outcomes for citizens and society.

In January 2024, the Secretaries Board appointed Rosemary Huxtable to undertake an independent, high level review of the effectiveness of current Board operations and to make findings and recommendations to support its ongoing strategic work. This report outlines the findings from the review.

By exploring the multiple dimensions of public sector productivity, this report aims to contribute meaningfully to the debate about how to increase public sector productivity. It is also intended to provide researchers and policy-makers with a series of questions that prompt further exploration.

Four years on from the initial pandemic lockdowns, working from home, in the form of hybrid working, is embedded. The Public Service Research Group has been examining working from home in the Australian public service (APS) since 2020, and in this report, they focus on the experiences of APS managers and supervisors.

New Zealand’s Executive Branch has grown to an abnormal size. This research summary argues that the number of departments, portfolios, and ministers likely causes a suite of coordination, policy drift and resource management problems.