It’s wrong to take cheap shots at public servants - Paula Bennett

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown. Photo / Michael Craig

OPINION

It has become a bit of sport to pick on public servants (or bureaucrats or officials as they are often referred to). They are blamed for everything that is wrong in our towns and cities and although some are not blameless, I think we have to be grateful to many for the job they do.

Politicians choose their job for a multitude of reasons but most want to make a difference. Public servants are different. They don’t generally have the ego that comes with politicians. They don’t want or need the spotlight and they have a different meaning for what it means to serve.

Most public servants I have met and worked with over the years are in their jobs because they love their country and their town or city and they want to play a role in improving it. They are diverse in personality but they are generally pretty smart and dedicated to their work.

I understand people’s frustrations. Hours can be spent at lunch or at the pub recalling stories of picky bureaucrats making people’s lives difficult. Trust me there are plenty of stories and rants in my own household after it took nearly two years to get consent to build a garage.

Where I think it is wrong is when politicians take cheap shots in public and then don’t actually fix the problems. The Auckland mayor seems to take great delight in belittling the public service and those on public boards publicly. Yes, people at home might cheer when they hear him say it on the radio, but who’s in charge? Who has the power to change the finicky, stupid rules that stop us getting on with our lives?

The mayor wrote this week about why he thinks projects go over budget and over time. He blamed boards and public servants and the way contracts are structured. What he didn’t do is tell us how he would fix it.

The rules bureaucrats work under are not generally written by themselves. They are expected to take full responsibility when something goes wrong but get no recognition when it goes right. They are bagged publicly by leaders.

If we want to see change in our public service and the people involved to take more responsibility, we need to treat them with respect. You get the best out of people by inspiring the best in them. If we don’t value those who serve, we can’t be surprised when they don’t go the extra mile and give the best service.

Instead of public floggings, we should listen and make change that will improve people’s lives. After all, isn’t that what both the politicians and public servants have in common?