It's the Swiss army knife of the public service, a sprawling behemoth with 6400 staff across more than 40 locations, reporting to 14 government ministers and associate ministers covering 17 portfolios.
Monster ministry MBIE, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, has many working parts but, like the knife, some are used more often than others.
MBIE has its own intelligence-gathering unit, runs the national space agency and is the go-to organisation if you want to sell a new variety of plant or measure the quality of petrol or diesel going into your tank.
Its better-known functions include overseeing the country's immigration services, the public science sector and regional economic development efforts, as well as co-ordinating its energy planning and strategies.
One of its nicknames is "the ministry for everything" and it's become the ruling administration's landing place for work that doesn't quite fit anywhere else, such as being (controversially) put in charge of Covid-19 managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) measures in June 2020. It has also played a supportive role for displaced homeowners and businesses in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle in February last year.
According to MBIE's briefing to incoming ministers late last year, its funding for 202324 is about $8.7 billion. This is divvied out to services spanning ACC, science, innovation and technology, regional development, energy, economic development, tourism and hospitality, commerce and consumer affairs, and housing - even the police have a stake. Just over $1.5b goes to MBIE's own departmental operations.
A quick look at MBIE's website shows its labyrinthine structure. The eight business groups are each headed by a deputy secretary or a deputy chief executive. Those groups contain up to nine sub-units apiece, called branches. The deputy chiefs report to chief executive and secretary Carolyn Tremain.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 30 - April 5, 2024 من New Zealand Listener.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 30 - April 5, 2024 من New Zealand Listener.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.