19895 version 2
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Demonstrate knowledge of the structure and role of the State sector,
Parliament and Government
Level
4
Credits
5
Purpose
People credited with this unit standard are able to: identify and describe the
three branches of New Zealand’s central government; explain the State
sector and its components; explain the roles and procedures of Parliament;
and describe own organisation and explain its place and role in the State
sector.
Subfield
Public Sector Services
Domain
Public Sector Core Skills
Status
Registered
Status date
25 January 2008
Date version published
25 January 2008
Planned review date
31 December 2012
Entry information
Open.
Replacement information
This unit standard, unit standard 19896, unit standard
19900, and unit standard 19903 replaced unit standard
14947, unit standard 14948, and unit standard 14952.
Accreditation
Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA and
industry.
Standard setting body (SSB)
The Skills Organisation
Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference
0121
This AMAP can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Special notes
1
This unit standard is intended for persons who are, or who intend to be, employed in
the New Zealand State sector.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
19895 version 2
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2
Definitions
Crown entity refers to organisations in which the State has a controlling ownership
interest. Crown entities form part of the Government reporting entity, but are not part
of the Crown itself. Most Crown entities exist under their own governing legislation
as well as the Crown Entities Act 2004.
Examples of Crown entities include the Broadcasting Standards Authority, New
Zealand Lotteries Commission, and Crown Research Institutes (see below).
Crown Entity Companies refers to Crown entities that are companies. State owned
enterprises are not Crown entities and are not referred to as such. Examples of
these include Radio New Zealand Ltd and Television New Zealand Ltd.
Crown Research Institutes (CRI) refers to Crown entity companies established to
undertake scientific research and related activities in accordance with the Crown
Research Institutes Act 1992. They are Crown entities. Examples include the
Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR) and NZ Pastoral
Agriculture Institute Ltd (AgResearch).
Department refers to the departments that comprise the Public Service. These are
listed in the First Schedule to the State Sector Act 1988. The departments are also
referred to as departments under the Public Finance Act 1989, as are the NZ
Defence Force, Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Parliamentary
Counsel Office, Parliamentary Service, New Zealand Police, and Security
Intelligence Service. The latter departments are also referred to as Non-State Sector
Act departments.
Local authority trading enterprises (LATEs) refers to companies that a local
government council has majority or significant control of and are part of the local
government sector.
Public Service refers to the departments of State that carry out core government
business and are listed in the First Schedule to the State Sector Act 1988.
Public sector refers to the State sector including the public service, crown entities,
non-uniformed staffs of the services and forces, offices of Parliament; and all local
authorities (local Government), including local authority trading enterprises (LATEs).
State owned enterprise (SOE) refers to the companies listed in the First Schedule to
the State Owned Enterprises Act 1986. SOEs operate as commercial businesses.
They have their own boards of directors, appointed by the shareholding Ministers, to
take full responsibility for running the businesses.
State sector refers to all organisations that are included in the ‘Government reporting
entity’ and are referred to in s27(3) of the Public Finance Act 1989, namely: Public
Service departments; other organisations defined as departments for the purposes of
the Public Finance Act 1989; Offices of Parliament (eg the Parliamentary
Commissioner for the Environment); State owned enterprises; Crown entities; the
Reserve Bank of New Zealand; and a range of other organisations listed in the
Fourth Schedule to the Public Finance Act 1989.
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Elements and performance criteria
Element 1
Identify and describe the three branches of New Zealand’s central government.
Performance criteria
1.1
The description identifies institutions of the legislature in New Zealand’s central
government system and explains the role of each.
Range
1.2
The description identifies institutions of the executive in New Zealand’s central
government system and explains the role of each.
Range
1.3
House of Representatives, parties and caucuses, Speaker,
parliamentary committees.
Executive Council, Prime Minister and Cabinet, ministers of the
Crown, government departments and public service.
The description identifies institutions of the judiciary in New Zealand’s central
government system and explains the role of each.
Range
Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, Criminal and Civil
Courts, Tribunals (eg Waitangi Tribunal), Authorities (eg Customs
Appeal Authority);
one example each of a tribunal and an authority.
Element 2
Explain the State sector and its components.
Performance criteria
2.1
The legislative basis, role, structure, reporting and inter-relationships are
explained.
Range
State sector, Public Service, Crown entities (including Crown
Research Institutes), State owned enterprises.
Element 3
Explain the roles and procedures of Parliament.
Performance criteria
3.1
The explanation includes the roles of Parliament.
Range
legislature, debating chamber, public forum, authority for
government, budget and expenditure, refining and reviewing
government business.
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3.2
The composition of the House of Representatives is explained using the current
government as the example.
Range
3.3
The explanation includes the key procedures for conducting business in the
House of Representatives.
Range
3.4
speech from the throne, address-in-reply debate, budget debate,
standing orders, speaking rights and time, question time (oral and
written responses), divisions.
Key personnel in the House of Representatives are identified and their roles
explained.
Range
3.5
MPs, parties and party caucuses, Māori representation,
demographic groups’ representation.
Speaker, leader of the House, cabinet Ministers, leaders of
opposition parties, party whips, back-bench MPs, Clerk of the
House, Hansard reporters.
The purpose of select committees is explained, with one specific select
committee used as an example.
Element 4
Describe own organisation and explain its place and role in the State sector.
Performance criteria
4.1
The type of the candidate’s own organisation is identified.
Range
may include but is not limited to - Public Service department,
Crown entity, SOE, CRI, Crown Entity Company.
4.2
The legislation specific to this organisation is described.
4.3
The role of the organisation is explained.
4.4
The Minister of the Crown to whom the organisation is responsible is identified
(if relevant).
4.5
The key relationships with other organisations in the State sector are explained.
Please note
Providers must be accredited by NZQA, or an inter-institutional body with delegated
authority for quality assurance, before they can report credits from assessment against
unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by NZQA before they can register
credits from assessment against unit standards.
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Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against unit standards
must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Accreditation requirements and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this
standard are outlined in the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The
AMAP also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations
wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for
tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Comments on this unit standard
Please contact The Skills Organisation info@skills.org.nz if you wish to suggest changes
to the content of this unit standard.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016