Justice boss won't step down after review reveals culture marred by leadership issues

Ministry of Justice secretary and chief executive Andrew Kibblewhite says he won't step down after a review into the Justice Ministry revealed a culture marred by leadership, decision-making and accountability issues.The review was ordered in August following its handling of a former employee, with outgoing Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith saying his confidence in the agency was "seriously shaken".Former Lotto presenter Russell Harrison was suspended for five years on full pay - more than $500,000 - as he faced charges relating to organised crime following a global FBI sting.The Public Service Commission carried out the review and described the Harrison case as "a microcosm for our broader findings".It found leaders were not sufficiently focused on public trust and confidence, too accepting of flawed internal advice and overly concerned about legal action. Staff who tried to speak up were not listened to.'I'm grabbing that with both hands'Kibblewhite told Checkpoint he was accountable and had to "own" the report, but believed he was the one to lead the ministry through its changes."We've got a culture that has some work ons and I 100 percent agree to that. We've also got a culture that's got a whole lot of strength and the report calls that out. It talks about the staff and how committed they are and how engaged they are."Our most recent court participation, court participant satisfaction survey, we had the highest ever satisfaction results that we've had in the courts."There's a lot going on that's indicative of culture. This report says we've got more work to do and I absolutely buy that, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to resile away from taking the leadership that's needed to move it forward."I'm grabbing that with both hands."Kibblewhite said the Harrison case was problematic, and decisions were made at the beginning, and were not tested sufficiently afterwards.He said the ministry wasn't keeping its eye on the ball."We've owned that and we've recognised that we need much stronger reporting up to the senior leadership team and making sure that the decisions are really challenged when they need to be, and I think we've fixed that," he said.Kibblewhite said the report showed work was needed, and steps were being taken to ensure people felt like they could speak up.A new policy to boost that was launched six weeks ago, he said."This is an active area of work for us. It's an active area where we are making progress, but look, I absolutely acknowledge the voices that come through in the report."We've got more to do. I'm just really confident that the things we have in train are moving us in the right direction. And I've got some really good solid evidence that for lots of people, that's the case."Justice system under 'intense pressure'The report also highlighted a justice system under "intense pressure", with challenges that are persistent, complex and difficult to resolve. That included more people going through the court system, more complex cases, cost pressures and workforce and infrastructure constraints."At the same time, expectations of service quality, accessibility and timeliness continue to rise while the ministry leads major change through Te Au Reka, one of the most significant court administration reforms ever undertaken in New Zealand and a programme representing a significant investment."Te Au Reka is a new digital case management system.Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche suggested tweaks around the edges of the ministry would not cut it."The pressures facing the justice system have been building for many years and will not be resolved through harder work, additional process, or further organisational complexity."The ministry has an opportunity to move beyond managing today's pressures and towards helping shape a justice system that is more effective, accessible, trusted and sustainable."No clear direction, staff exhaustedStaff told the review it was not clear what they were working towards. They said there was no shortage of planning and strategy documents, but they were "overly bland at best and at worst confusing".One manager said the strategy was "an aspirational document with some fluffy words" and questioned what it meant in practice.Staff were stuck dealing with whatever immediate priorities were placed in front of them by the government of the day, and wondering whether they are focusing on the right things.The review said clarifying the ministry's vision as strategy must be its single most urgent priority, and leadership, culture and performance would flow from that.Frontline staff reported no clear plan for addressing demand and backlogs, instead resorting to temporary measures like overtime. Such patch-up solutions resulted in overworked and exhausted staff, the report said.The suspended staff member was a former Lotto presenter.RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyFocus weighted towards policy, not the courtsThe review found the ministry produced high quality policy work, but that received more attention and resource than operations."For example, we were surprised that there is no room in the ministry's executive team for a manager dedicated to the District Court (the busiest court in Australasia)," it said.They were equally surprised about thin resourcing allocated to support judges with judicial policy and the future development of the courts."We strongly suggest this be re-examined."One interviewee commented: "...they sometimes seem like people running a hospital who've never been on a ward. Everyone in that place must understand, live and breathe the work of the courts, not just the frontline."Frontline staff felt senior managers did not listen to their suggestions for improvement, reporting a "highly hierarchical and siloed culture". Others feared making suggestions.