Key features of the new Act are that it:
- provides a more flexible set of options for how the public service can organise itself to better respond to specific priorities;
- allows public servants to move between agencies more easily;
- clearly establishes the purpose, principles and values of an apolitical public service, as well as its role in government formation;
- supports the Crown in its commitment to and its relationship with Māori;
- strengthens leadership across the public service and, in particular, provides for system and future focused leadership; and
- shifts the focus from state services to public services, changing the name of the State Services Commission to the Public Service Commission.[i]