Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand
Department of Internal Affairs (in Māori
Te Tari Taiwhenua) is a state sector organisation
whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship
grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship
and gambling
law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil unions; providing policy advice on a range of issues; and supplying support services to Ministers of the Crown.
Other services provided by the department include a translation service, publication of the New Zealand Gazette
(the official newspaper of the Government of New Zealand), a flag hire service, management of VIP visits to New Zealand, running the Lake Taupo harbourmaster's office (under a special agreement with the local iwi
) and the administration of offshore islands.
The Minister of Internal Affairs is the Hon. Nathan Guy
and Peter Mersi is the Acting Secretary of Internal Affairs. However, in total there are seven Ministers with responsibilities administered by the Department.
On 25 March 2010 the Minister of State Services announced that Archives New Zealand
and the National Library of New Zealand
would be merged into the Department. Library and Archives stakeholders have expressed serious concerns about the changes proposed. During the late 1990s both the Library and Archives were separated from the Department along with Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
, which from the time New Zealand became a British colony
, in 1840, was responsible for almost all central Government duties. Many of these responsibilities were lost as new departments and ministries were formed. The office's name was changed to the Department of Internal Affairs in 1907, and it became the home for a diverse range of government functions providing services to New Zealanders and advice to Ministers of the Crown. This role continues to the present day, as new roles and functions have come into the Department and others have been transferred elsewhere.
. The Department's present activities also include the implementation of recent dog control and local government legislation.
The Department also has responsibility for supporting the community and voluntary sector through the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector.
The Knowledge, Information, Research and Technology (KIRT) Branch includes the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO), vested in the Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs which has responsibility for developing and overseeing the government's ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) strategy and providing strategic advice on related matters. The KIRT branch also includes the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Māturanga o Aotearoa and Archives New Zealand, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga. (These two organisations were integrated into the Department on 1 February 2011.
Another branch - Shared Services - provides secretariat support for several entities including:
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Department of Internal Affairs (in Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
Te Tari Taiwhenua) is a state sector organisation
State sector organisations in New Zealand
Public sector organisations in New Zealand include the State sector plus the organisations of local government.Within the State sector lies the State services, and within this, lies the core Public service....
whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship
Censorship in New Zealand
Censorship in New Zealand has changed over the years to reflect the demands for a more liberal application of the law on contentious publications....
and gambling
Gambling in New Zealand
Gambling in New Zealand is controlled by the Department of Internal Affairs. All public gambling is expected to return a portion of profits to the community. The largest proportion of the gambling industry is operated by state-owned institutions...
law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil unions; providing policy advice on a range of issues; and supplying support services to Ministers of the Crown.
Other services provided by the department include a translation service, publication of the New Zealand Gazette
Gazette
A gazette is a public journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper.In English- and French-speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name Gazette since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers bear the name The Gazette.Gazette is a loanword from the...
(the official newspaper of the Government of New Zealand), a flag hire service, management of VIP visits to New Zealand, running the Lake Taupo harbourmaster's office (under a special agreement with the local iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
) and the administration of offshore islands.
The Minister of Internal Affairs is the Hon. Nathan Guy
Nathan Guy
Nathan Guy is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament representing the National Party.-Background:...
and Peter Mersi is the Acting Secretary of Internal Affairs. However, in total there are seven Ministers with responsibilities administered by the Department.
On 25 March 2010 the Minister of State Services announced that Archives New Zealand
Archives New Zealand
Archives New Zealand is the National Archives of New Zealand, with overall responsibility for government recordkeeping and for community archives. Since 1 February 2011 it has been part of the Department of Internal Affairs...
and the National Library of New Zealand
National Library of New Zealand
The National Library of New Zealand is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations"...
would be merged into the Department. Library and Archives stakeholders have expressed serious concerns about the changes proposed. During the late 1990s both the Library and Archives were separated from the Department along with Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
History
The Department traces its roots back to the Colonial Secretary's OfficeColonial Secretary (New Zealand)
The Colonial Secretary of New Zealand was an office established in 1840 and abolished in 1907. The position should not be confused with the Colonial Secretary of the former Colonial Office of the United Kingdom....
, which from the time New Zealand became a British colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
, in 1840, was responsible for almost all central Government duties. Many of these responsibilities were lost as new departments and ministries were formed. The office's name was changed to the Department of Internal Affairs in 1907, and it became the home for a diverse range of government functions providing services to New Zealanders and advice to Ministers of the Crown. This role continues to the present day, as new roles and functions have come into the Department and others have been transferred elsewhere.
Related organisations
The Department of Internal Affairs encompasses several organisations. These include the Office of Ethnic Affairs, which provides information to ethnic communities and policy advice to the government; the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, which manages the national response to civil defence emergencies, provides leadership of the sector including the development of standards and guidance and leads a coordinated national public education campaign; and the Local Government Commission, which makes decisions on the structure and representation requirements of local governmentLocal government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
. The Department's present activities also include the implementation of recent dog control and local government legislation.
The Department also has responsibility for supporting the community and voluntary sector through the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector.
The Knowledge, Information, Research and Technology (KIRT) Branch includes the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO), vested in the Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs which has responsibility for developing and overseeing the government's ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) strategy and providing strategic advice on related matters. The KIRT branch also includes the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Māturanga o Aotearoa and Archives New Zealand, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga. (These two organisations were integrated into the Department on 1 February 2011.
Another branch - Shared Services - provides secretariat support for several entities including:
- The Gambling Commission
- The Local Government Commission
- Commissions of Inquiry and ad hoc bodies (as at October 2011 there are two Royal Commissions operating: The Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine tragedy and the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission.)
- The Library and Information Advisory Commission, Ngā Kaiwhakamārama i ngā Kohikohinga Kōrero
- The Public Lending Right Advisory Group
- The Guardians Kaitiaki of the Alexander Turnbull Library
- The Archives Council
- The Film and Literature Board of Review
- Confidential Listening and Assistance Service
See also
- New Zealand Birth CertificateNew Zealand Birth CertificateNew Zealand Birth Certificates are issued to persons who were born in New Zealand. The Department of Internal Affairs is responsible for issuing birth certificates in New Zealand.Information listed on New Zealand Birth Certificates are:...
- Censorship in New ZealandCensorship in New ZealandCensorship in New Zealand has changed over the years to reflect the demands for a more liberal application of the law on contentious publications....
- Gambling in New ZealandGambling in New ZealandGambling in New Zealand is controlled by the Department of Internal Affairs. All public gambling is expected to return a portion of profits to the community. The largest proportion of the gambling industry is operated by state-owned institutions...