Allegations of favouritism, 'unsustainable' workloads at Education Ministry's curriculum division

A damning review has found serious problems including allegations of favouritism and lack of public sector values in the Education Ministry's curriculum division.The division is responsible for the government's curriculum rewrite and has been under scrutiny this week after multiple whistleblowers alleged attempts to subvert the Official Information Act.The ministry commissioned the review in response to concerns raised through confidential channels and 107 provided information.It found:Widespread concern about favouritism by senior leaders, especially in relation to the many temporary appointments in Te Poutāhū | Curriculum CentreWidespread concern regarding the application of public sector values and principles including fair and transparent appointment processes, conflict of interest management and concerns about the obligation to give free and frank advice to the minister not being metUnreasonable or unprofessional workplace behaviours exhibited or tolerated by leadersStrategy, work planning and commissioningOrganisational design and resourcing, particularly the extensive use of contractors or other temporary arrangementsDeeply held concerns about speaking up. This included fear of negative career consequences, which it was considered others had experienced, and because ofA small number of other examples of concerns relating to diversity, inclusion or equity, and sexual harassment.The review report said some staff made positive comments, others described the workplace as toxic, and many were in the middle."The strongest concerns of almost all participants relate to workload and well-being. Feedback consistently described workloads as unsustainable, characterised by constant urgency and short deadlines. It was considered that more could be done to manage workloads and timeframes," the review report said.The report said many participants were not convinced senior leaders were giving the government free and frank advice, especially with regard to the time required for implementing changes.Some participants said some former employees left because they had difficulty being politically neutral, the report said."Some people spoken to were extremely passionate about their work, and the reviewer could see how this could give rise to an interpretation that they may not be willing to serve the government of the day if they disagreed with the decisions," the report said."However, in many cases participants described a desire for further explanation of the context or rationale of an instruction they received, or clarity about where certain instructions were coming from."Many referred to the opaqueness of instructions, in that they were not always sure whether an instruction was coming from the minister's office or whether it was a decision of senior leadership."Many participants said the curriculum centre's leadership was outdated and authoritarian, the report stated.Examples included unreasonable and intimidating behaviours, a general prevalence of swearing - though not at people, and rudeness.Some participants said they had seen bullying, others said they had not but gave examples of less-than-ideal leadership practices."However, in the course of other parts of their interviews they would describe behaviours that may amount to 'indirect' examples of unreasonable behaviours (such as exclusion from work, gaslighting, threats about job security, and retaliation for voicing work-related concerns)," the report said.The Education Ministry said in the report that managers had been asked to come up with an action plan to address the problems.