New governance, new dilemmas: post-reform issues in New Zealand’s public sector

Abstract

During fast-paced reforms of the 1980s and 1990s in New Zealand, the emphasis was on ‘problem solving’ to create a new system of governance. With ‘new governance’ structures in place for nearly 20 years, a major management role is that of reconciling dilemmas arising from prescriptions for reform. The art of managing dilemmas – the balancing of competing propositions – is described in this article. Eight dilemmas are identifi ed to encapsulate the tensions that are evident in a model which gives managers considerable delegated authority for fi nance and people, while holding them accountable for results.