STRATEGYNZ
GDS Index
Government department strategies under the microscope
The GDS Index aims to illustrate how New Zealand might strengthen government department strategies (GDSs) to be more effective, responsive, measurable, comparable and durable through public consultation, engagement and ownership.
The Government Department Strategies Index Handbook – He Puna Rautaki ranks each GDS in terms of essential information. It does not rate the strategy as such; it rates the strategy document’s provision of essential information and clarity of communication so that readers can assess the strategic approach for themselves. Every GDS is reviewed against the Institute’s Transparency Scorecard to determine how well it articulates each of six elements.
The Institute regularly updates the Handbook so that information can be measured, analysed and tracked over time. The latest GDS Index lists strategies in operation as at 31 December 2024.
Thank you to everyone who helped, including the many officials who answered our Official Information Act requests. Soft copies of the 2024 GDS Index Handbook, along with Working Paper 2025/01 –Methodology for the 2024 Government Department Strategies Index and Working Paper 2025/02 – Analysis of Climate Change in Government Department Strategies as at 31 December 2024 are available to download from Working Papers. In addition, we have made available a spreadsheet of all 195 GDSs that comprise the 2024 GDS Index (including links to a PDF of each strategy document).
If you have any queries or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].
Definition of a government department strategy
A ‘government department strategy’ must:
1. be a publicly available document that is published by a government department
2. be a public-facing document that is written for the public to read
3. be an externally facing document (i.e. not written for internal management purposes)
4. be a strategic document that contains long-term thinking (i.e. it sets out the approach [the means] and the purpose [the ends] of the strategy)
5. be a national document (i.e. it excludes local and regional strategies)
6. be a document that looks out at least two years or more, and
7. not be a corporate document.
Timeline of the GDS Index
The Institute has published six versions of the GDS Index since the project began in 2014.
2024 GDS Index
The Transparency Scorecard
The Scorecard is used to rank each strategy. It explores whether the content of the strategy is sufficient for a reader to assess the quality of the strategy. The Index does not assess the quality of the strategy. Download the Transparency Scorecard.
Lists of operational and archived GDSs
The tables provide detailed information on each GDS, as well as a pdf of each strategy document.
Government Department Strategies Index Handbook – He Puna Rautaki as at 31 December 2024
April 2025
See Books, journals, and other publications to view and download.
Working Paper 2025/01 – Methodology
The Methodology explains why the Institute produces and publishes a GDS Index and how, in detail, the 2024 GDS Index was created.
See Working Papers to view and download.
Working Paper 2025/02 – Analysis of Climate Change
The Analysis of Climate Change paper provides an in-depth discussion of mentions of climate change in operational GDSs.
See Working Papers to view and download.
Spreadsheet of Operational GDSs
This spreadsheet is the master used to create the 2024 GDS Index.
Download (XLSX, 101 KB)
2023 GDS Index
Government Department Strategies Index Handbook – He Puna Rautaki as at 31 December 2023
December 2024
See Books, journals, and other publications to view and download.
Letter to MPs
28 June 2022
Download (PDF, 284 KB)
Letter to CEs of government departments
28 June 2022
Download (PDF, 217 KB)
2023 GDS Index: By the numbers
Page 6 of the 2023 GDS Index Handbook gives a quick snapshot of GDSs as seen through lenses such as content, accountability, sector and climate.
Working Paper 2024/08 – Methodology for the 2023 Government Department Strategies Index as at 31 December 2023
The Methodology explains why the Institute produces and publishes a GDS Index and how, in detail, the 2023 GDS Index was created.
See Working Papers to view and download.
Working Paper 2024/09 – Analysis of Climate Change in Government Department Strategies as at 31 December 2023
Analysis of Climate Change provides indepth discussion of mentions of climate change in GDSs.
See Working Papers to view and download.
2021 GDS Index
Government Department Strategies Index Handbook – He Puna Rautaki
June 2022
See Books, journals, and other publications to view and download.
By the numbers
Page 8 of the 2021 GDS Index Handbook
See Working Papers to view and download the below publications
Working Paper 2022/01 – Methodology for the 2021 Government Department Strategies Index
August 2022
Working Paper 2022/02 – Complete Lists of Government Department Strategies Between 1 July 1994 and 31 December 2021
July 2022
Working Paper 2022/03 – Scoring Tables: Collating and Ranking Government Department Strategies in Operation as at 31 December 2021
July 2022
Working Paper 2022/04 – Analysis of Government Department Strategies Between 1 July 1994 and 31 December 2021
December 2022
Working Paper 2022/05 – Best Practice: Guidance for policy analysts preparing government department strategy documents
July 2022
Working Paper 2022/06 – Strategy Maps: Copies of all strategy maps found in government department strategies in operation as at 31 December 2021
June 2022
Working Paper 2022/07 – Analysis of Climate Change in Government Department Strategies as at 31 December 2021
November 2022
Working Paper 2022/08 – Analysis of Poverty in Government Department Strategies as at 31 December 2021
November 2022
2018 GDS Index
Government Department Strategies Index Handbook – He Puna Rautaki
December 2018
See Books, journals, and other publications to view and download.
Working Paper 2019/01 – Methodology for the Government Department Strategies Index New Zealand
May 2019
See Working Papers to view and download.
Working Paper 2019/02 – Lists of Government Department Strategies from 1 July 1994
May 2019
See Working Papers to view and download.
Working Paper 2019/03 – Scoring Tables Collating Government Department Strategies in Operation as at 31 December 2018
May 2019
See Working Papers to view and download.
Working Paper 2019/04 – Analysis of Government Department Strategies between 1 July 1994 and 31 December 2018
May 2019
See Working Papers to view and download.
Working Paper 2021/02 – List of Government Department Strategies as at 31 December 2020
April 2021
See Working Papers to view and download.
2015 GDS Index
See Working Papers to view and download the below publications
Working Paper 2015/04 – Methodology for the Government Department Strategies Index New Zealand
February 2015
Working Paper 2015/05 – Tables Collating and Ranking Government Department Strategies in Operation as at 30 June 2014
February 2015
Working Paper 2015/06 – Profiles Scoring Government Department Strategies in Operation as at 30 June 2014
February 2015
Working Paper 2015/07 – List of Government Department Strategies Between 1 July 1994 and 30 June 2015
October 2015
Working Paper 2015/08 – Tables Collating and Ranking Government Department Strategies in Operation as at 30 June 2015
November 2015
Working Paper 2015/09 – Profiles Scoring Government Department Strategies in Operation as at 30 June 2015
November 2015
Working Paper 2015/10 – Analysis of Government Department Strategies Between 1 July 1994 and 30 June 2015: An overview
November 2015
Working Paper 2015/11 – Observations from the GDS Index 2015
October 2015
2014 GDS Index
See Working Papers to view and download the below publications
Working Paper 2014/02 – Analysis of Government Department Strategies Between 1 July 1994 and 30 June 2014: An overview
December 2014
Working Paper 2014/01 – List of Government Department Strategies Between 1 July 1994 and 30 June 2014
September 2014