Government property mandate
What the current government property mandate says and how it applies to agencies.
About the government property mandate
The government property mandate (agreed by Cabinet in 2018) sets expectations for how agencies manage their office spaces.
The mandate aims to support a more agile, responsive, and resilient government property portfolio. The Cabinet direction is for agencies to take a whole-of-government, system level approach that:
- is citizen-focused
- delivers value for money
- encourages collaboration between agencies
- provides workplaces that value people.
Government Property Office (GPO) leads the property system on behalf of government, supporting agencies to meet the mandate's expectations.
Government property mandate review
The current mandate is under review. GPO will share an updated mandate with agencies once Cabinet decisions are confirmed.
The current mandate requires agencies to:
- support a whole-of-government approach to office property by working openly, collaboratively, and constructively with other agencies
- participate in portfolio planning, including identifying preferred co-location partners and locations
- provide GPO with complete, accurate, and up-to-date data on the space they occupy
- maintain a forward property plan and ensure this plan is included within the GPO’s portfolio programme
- get GPO approval:
- before beginning any process to secure space
- before committing to any transaction for space
- enable co-location and flexible options where feasible.
How the mandate applies to agencies
Property types covered by the mandate include:
- Office space used by agencies.
- Public interface spaces i.e. where agencies provide services to the public kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face).
Agencies the mandate applies to include:
- Public service departments and departmental agencies.
- The New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Police, and the Parliamentary Counsel Office.
- All Crown agents, except District Health Boards and the New Zealand Blood Service).
- The Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Parliamentary Service.
- Non-public service departments within the executive branch.
Other central government organisations are encouraged to use GPO services, standards, guidance and tools voluntarily.
For more information:
Central government organisations — Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission
The mandate does not apply to operational areas or other specialised environments. For more details on area types, see the Property definitions page.
More information
This page is a high-level summary of the mandate. For the full text or advice on how the mandate applies to your agency: