24 Jan 2005

Report says Niue public servants need to improve work ethic

5:05 pm on 24 January 2005

A report on the Niue public service suggests there needs to be an improvement in attitude among public servants when it comes to work ethics.

The author of the report, Don Hunn, who's a former state services commissioner for New Zealand, says the paper was triggered by last year's agreement between New Zealand and Niue which aims to enlarge the country's economic base.

He says the report took a broad look at the manner in which Niue was governed and the relationships between cabinet, the public service and the assembly.

Mr Hunn says it was important to see how the public service could be improved and many people he spoke to indicated workers needed to change their attitudes.

"There was certainly comment around the community, and not just from people you might expect to make these comments, but there was general comment that there did need to be changes in the way the public service worked."

Mr Hunn says he is now waiting for a response to the report which has been handed to both the New Zealand and Niue governments.