We were told that understanding what is important to people involves engaging with, listening, and responding to their needs. For example, one person said, “I want to be heard at least … It is about doing the right things, but also giving people a voice.”41 The Public Service Act 2020 establishes organisational forms and ways of working. It affirms that “the fundamental characteristic of the public service is acting with a spirit of service to the community.”42 The implementation of the Public Service Act creates opportunities to develop Ko tō tātou kāinga tēnei - Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain on 15 March 2019 Improved community engagement across the Public sector 27. Building social cohesion and social inclusion requires ongoing collaboration. Public sector agencies developing social cohesion and social inclusion policies and programmes should collaborate with communities in developing these policies and programmes. Communities play a pivotal role in building and maintaining social cohesion. This is especially true of community leaders, as they build a sense of identity and validate people’s collective understanding of shared social norms and experiences. We recommend greater focus on empowering communities to participate in central and local government decision-making processes. 28. Public sector agencies need to increase their engagement capability and ensure that all communities have opportunities to contribute to the development of services, policies and practices that affect them. There needs to be a shift from simply communicating with communities to genuinely engaging in an open, inclusive and transparent way. The default Public sector agencies’ practice for community engagement needs to shift away from the inform and consult end of Participation IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum, to more of a focus on involved, collaborative and empowering engagement. This is consistent with the commitments New Zealand has made to have “a government that is open, inclusive and responsive and citizens who willingly get involved in issues that are important to them”.8 29. This will require greater upfront time and resources from Public sector agencies but will lead to sustainable solutions that better meet the needs of and serve communities. These approaches to engagement will also help to build communities’ trust and confidence in Public sector agencies, as their success relies on relationships being built and maintained, rather than one-off, transactional engagement. 30. It is important that Public sector agencies are able to communicate why the level of engagement they are undertaking is appropriate in the circumstances. This will improve the quality of community engagement and policy decisions to be taken, help communities to understand the degree of influence they have in a decision-making process and provide the transparency needed to build trust and confidence. the International Association for Public 8 22 Open Government Partnership New Zealand National Action Plan 2018-2020 (2018). Human Rights Commission