Stepping down and stepping up beats staying put for Sir Collin Tukuitonga any day - Rob Campbell

Sir Collin Tukuitonga pictured with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro. Photo / Government House

OPINION

Sir Collin Tukuitonga has served in a wide range of government and social agency roles in his career.

In stepping down from some important advisory positions, he stepped up by openly criticising new Government policies relating to those positions. His stance is one to admire and support. There is no point in holding such roles when your input is going to be ignored and you have more effective ways to allocate your energy. Sir Colin has those options and I am sure he will be using them. Stepping down and stepping up beats staying put for him any day.

There is a plethora of people holding similar positions across government and government-dependent services.

To be fair there are plenty of others who are costs without benefits

I hear from more than a few who are weighing up their best option. These are all people who took on a role to contribute to a purpose. There is not a seat-warmer, time-server or habitual lackey amongst them.

To be fair there are plenty of others who are costs without benefits around the myriad tables enjoying their morning tea and keeping their heads down. But those who are there for a purpose which is being removed or under threat are doing some of the thinking which Sir Colin has done.

Rob Campbell, former chairman of Te Whatu Ora. Photo / Michael Craig

These valuable people are not “public servants” though they do serve the public. They are not employees committed to a career in “the public service” which has managed to survive from the colonial civil service. They may or may not be paid for their roles but if they are paid this is effectively reimbursement for their option costs of participation not salary with attached conditions. Mostly they are fortunate to have options.

Of course, not all will oppose the directions being taken by the new Government. Plenty of them were not that convinced about the old government but saw enough to think that they were working for and towards something which was of real value. Each will have their own tolerance for new policy directions. Quite a few will hit that limit quickly. When they do we can only hope that they will not just step down, but also step up by actively opposing the things they oppose.

There is little value in just stepping down, in fact if they do that it quite probably reflects that they were not doing much of value before. Of course, many will stay put for the morning tea too and perhaps later grumble a bit over a drink with their other fair-weather friends.

Others will be politically neutral, the apple of the Public Service Commission’s eyes. Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir. You tell me the advice you want minister and I’ll make sure you get a paper trail to back you up. In terms of delivering public services, we obviously need many people who are or can act as if they are neutral in this sense. Good on them. But this hardly applies to people in part-ime, temporary advisory or “governance” positions.

These people are actively complicit in making or influencing policy. They know who they are, they know what they think about the policies, most will stay put even though they know some are wrong. Some might step up and get culled. Good on them too.

We are currently seeing quite a bit more than a minor change in direction. In particular for Māori and Pacific peoples, the lowest-paid and beneficiaries, uncertainty and apprehension pile on top of existing inequities. Those who are privileged, who hold the advisory and “governance” positions in the firing line, and who recognise that we are making a direction change which entrenches inequity and cuts off progress, should step up even if it means stepping down.

And, as a colleague noted to me, when stepping down, don’t just throw your toys, throw grenades. (A metaphor, before my trolls get excited).

Rob Campbell is a professional director and investor. He is chancellor at AUT, chairman of Ara Ake, chairman of NZ Rural Land, an adviser for Dave Letele’s BBM charity. He is also the former chairman of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.