David Dunsheath
Wellington, June 5, 2018
Preparation of New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership National Action Plan (OGP-NAP) 2018-2020 is well under way, coordinated by a dedicated small team within the State Services Commission.
A much sought-after objective is being pursued from May to July to engage civil society, i.e. our community of citizens, in the bottom-up development of this new NAP.
Participation small
As reported in the May issue of Transparency Times, a series of multi-city workshops have engaged a diversity of citizens to think afresh about what open government commitments they wish the government to adopt.
However to date, the number of participants is small and unlikely to be representative of the wider population.
In addition, we are all invited to contribute on-line with new ideas and by voting and commenting on existing suggestions already posted, as well as by adding your own new ideas. It is pleasing to note that simple, once-only registration is required to become an active participant in the OGP online consultation process.
Ultimate Commitments
The ultimate commitments within the new NAP, each with underlying targets, will become focused on at least one of the following OGP themes: (a) providing easier access to information (b) increasing accountability (c) improving transparency and (d) strengthening integrity (e) enabling greater citizen participation in government decision-making
Using the raw ideas contributed, a process of analysis, theming, then synthesis will be undertaken in additional workshops attended by elected representatives from each initial May workshop. Finalised commitments once assembled within the drafted NAP, will pass through the Cabinet process for plan approval by end of August.
Progress towards achieving these commitments will, as with the previous NAPs, be subject to international scrutiny at both mid-term (June 2019) and plan completion (June 2020).
Longer Term Planning
Longer term planning objectives straddling two or more future NAP durations, can be accommodated by a series of two-yearly commitments that are achievable in each 2-year planning period, respectively.
Meanwhile, the current 2016-2018 NAP will be completed this June, at which time the Government will publicly publish its own self-assessment of its success. Also, an independent review will be undertaken for international scrutiny.
With each of these two reviews, the wider public will be encouraged to view and comment on their findings.
However, the State Services Commission must implement significantly more effective ways to educate civil society about OGP and the opportunities currently being provided to express opinions and vote on preferred initiatives for inclusion in the 2018-2020 NAP.
Multilateral initiatives
The Open Government Partnership, headquartered in Washington, is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.
In the spirit of multi-stakeholder collaboration, OGP is overseen by a Steering Committee including representatives of governments and civil society organizations.
Over 70 participating countries and 15 subnational governments have made over 2,500 commitments since the OGP’s inception in 2011, to make their governments more open and accountable.
David Dunsheath is a Member of Transparency International New Zealand with delegated authority for Open Government. He is also the Co-Editor of Transparency Times Newsletter, from which the above article has been taken for publication.
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- Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister Clare Curran at the Wellington Workshop on May 23, 2018
- A Workshop in progress in Wellington May 23, 2018
(Pictures by Transparency International New Zealand INC
