Poll: Is restructuring the right tool for change?
Restructure.
A scary word that can make people uneasy—and for good reason. According to The Post, more than a third of New Zealand’s public services have recently faced it.
But why is restructuring the go-to strategy for driving change?
In The Post’s article 'Reaching for change: Is our public service obsessed with restructuring?', doctoral candidate Annika Naschitzki from Victoria University is trying to understand repetitive restructuring.
New Zealand’s public service is often seen as risk-averse, slow-moving, and stuck. But interviewed staff indicate that they want change, that change is needed ... just not through restructuring.
Naschitzki doesn’t mince words: “We always have the same issues, but we keep trying to fix the same problem with the same hammer we've been using for decades.”
Are we leaning too heavily on structural change when real transformation might lie elsewhere? Perhaps through training, resourcing, tools, and practice, as Naschitzki suggests.
What do you think?
Is restructuring the right tool for meaningful change, or just a habit we can’t seem to break?
If you are wary of restructuring, how can we do better?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
-
7.4% Restructuring is the only option in the current climate
-
25.5% Can be great if done in consultation with staff doing the work
-
15.1% Any change is good, as long as we know what we are trying to achieve
-
14.1% No, restructuring consumes too much resourcing
-
35.6% There is no one-size-fits-all answer ...
-
2.2% Other - I will share below
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
-
52.6% Human-centred experience and communication
-
14.8% Critical thinking
-
29.8% Resilience and adaptability
-
2.8% Other - I will share below!
Normandale Road lights out again 24/2/26
Guess what, as the oldest dweller, well one of, in Normandale, it is always me who rings the council when the street lights go out for a week or more.
YOU too can ring HCC 570 6666 to report faults.
Loading…
