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Heartland Services
Ministry of Social Development
New Zealand

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
Heartland Services is a whole of government initiative facilitated by the Ministry of Social Development. It was established in 2001 to improve the delivery of New Zealand government services to people living in rural and remote communities and those finding it difficult to access government services.

There are now 33 Heartland Service Centres situated in provincial and small towns throughout New Zealand, three urban centres and twelve outreach services to isolated communities. Over nineteen different government agencies and ninety community agencies are represented at these centres.

Increases Efficiency

Heartland Services provide government agencies with a cost effective way of having a presence in communities that had no government services by:
• sharing facilities - services can be provided at a much smaller cost than if each agency had each to provide its own offices
• making it possible to have services in areas other than main centres.

Having government and community services under one roof means there is an opportunity for these organisations to take a coordinated approach to client needs.

Provides High-Quality Service Delivery

Before there were Heartland Services, people living in rural areas did their business with government by phone, or travelled long distances to meet with government agencies at the main regional centres. Now they can meet with government agencies in their own community, on a regular basis.

Each centre has a service co-ordinator who provides:
• a personal response to the needs of local people wanting information or services
• appointments for local people to meet visiting government officials
• advice as to the best way for their clients needs to be met
• access to forms, guidelines and regulations, information brochures and government websites.

Improved interagency collaboration is a result of agencies working together under one roof. This means clients receive a holistic approach to answering their needs rather than a fragmented service.

A customer satisfaction survey commissioned in April 2006 shows that over 95% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the services offered at Heartlands.

Transforms Administration

The Heartland’s initiative was mandated at the highest levels of government. However, it was realised that for the Heartland’s model to be successful it needed to be locally owned.

Individual Heartland Centres are administered though a local management committee comprising of community organisations and local government agencies.

Introduces a New Concept

The Heartland’s service model exemplifies innovation as each Heartland Service Centre operates differently depending on needs of the local community. The approach supports innovative ideas at a local level.

It also fosters new ways of working, with Government agencies exposed to a more integrated service approach to supporting clients.

It can be replicated for other client groups such as young children under five, refugees and migrants and senior citizens.

This model is distinctive in that it has its own brand – a whole of government brand. The centres are seen as a neutral and independent place that supports the community, in effect removing the stigma of dealing with a government agency.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The 1980s saw extensive rationalisation and centralisation of government agencies in New Zealand, resulting in the withdrawal of services from rural and remote communities and the concentration of frontline services to metropolitan areas and cities. Call centres became the new service delivery mechanism. People outside the main centres were expected to do business by phone or to travel to main centres to do business with government. But some people didn’t have phones – or they didn’t want to do business by phone, and call centres did not necessarily work for them. Other people could not afford the time and the costs to travel to main centres during business hours. Travelling outside the local area to unfamiliar surroundings could also be very intimidating.

Between 1996 and 1998 the New Zealand Government became aware that rural families and communities were suffering due to the lack of accessibility to government services. Rural people were feeling disenfranchised and alienated.

There was a general election in 1999. On the New Zealand Labour Party manifesto was an intention to establish Heartland Service Centres, with the aim of returning Government services to heartland New Zealand. It was given to the Ministry of Social Development for implementation.

The mandate was to create a network of centres across provincial New Zealand that would provide a base for government agencies which would be required to attend on a regular basis. The focus was on improving face-to-face service between government and clients.

Heartland Service centres started being rolled out in 2001. We now have 33 provincial centres and two urban centres (with another being developed). We also provide outreach services to 12 isolated communities.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The past 20 years of restructuring of services and the economy has led to a retrenchment of business and services from rural New Zealand and to some extent a loss of local leadership and a run-down of social capital. The withdrawal of government services in small rural towns had led to rural communities feeling isolated and abandoned by government. Now many rural areas may only have a few government agencies present such as schools, health centres, the Police and Work and Income.

The pulling out of government agency staff from rural communities also had the spin-off effect of removing valuable skills and resources from within the local community, that often could not be readily replaced.

However, the populations of many small towns and rural areas are growing from natural increase and migration. Migration of people on low incomes to rural towns for cheaper housing has led to the transfer of social problems to rural areas where there are fewer support services. Under-investment in rural centres and minor urban areas has generally resulted in their having higher rates of unemployment than larger cities despite their often considerable potential for economic growth and employment creation based on local resources.

There is considerable regional variation in the demographic and social structures of rural areas and small towns, some extremely geographically isolated, so that different servicing strategies are required for different locations. Families requiring support also usually require a range of services. Ascertaining needs requires local visits by a range of agencies.

The original policy idea behind Heartland Services was ‘to get the government back in people’s lives again’. The response has been to establish small centres, whereby frontline staff of government agencies share office facilities, and co-ordination services in rural or isolated communities.

There are now 33 Heartland Service Centres situated in provincial towns throughout New Zealand, three urban centres and twelve outreach services to isolated communities. Over nineteen different government agencies and ninety community agencies are represented at these centres. These include: Career Services, Child, Youth and Family, Community Probation, Courts, Community Law, Housing New Zealand Corporation, Inland Revenue, Maori Land Court, Work and Income, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Te Puni Kokiri, Tenancy Services, and services from the Department of Labour – NZ Immigration Service, Employment Relations, Occupational Safety and Health.

By using the existing relationships and networks already established under an existing whole of government initiative Strengthening Families, the Ministry of Social Development has been able to fulfil the original policy intention, and has provided an innovative mechanism to create a network of locally based multi-agency service providers and local community organisations responsive to end users.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
Heartland Services is an interagency collaboration initiative, designed to assist people to access government information and provide a personal link to agencies. The original policy idea behind Heartland Services was ‘to get the government back in people’s lives again’.

The objectives of Heartland Services to:
• improve access to Government services for people in communities
• improve Government interagency collaboration
• support community and voluntary agencies.

Before this service, people in rural communities could contact government services by telephone or get access to them through community groups or travelling to major centres. Now the Heartlands Service centre provides a central place in a local community for the delivery of a range of related Government and Non-Government services, and to improve interagency collaboration and support voluntary organisations.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
Locally-Driven and Owned

For Heartland Services to be successful it needed to be locally driven and owned, to ensure that the services provided remained responsive to the local community. We leveraged off existing networks and strong linkages between community groups and government agencies which were already established under the highly successful Strengthening Families.

The authority to establish a Heartland Service Centre was driven down to the local level through a management committee that comprised of community organisations and local government agencies.

The across government and community buy-in to the Centres is evident through the multiple party arrangement to support the service. Central government pays for the service coordinator’s salary, and rental of the office, phone and computer. All other enhancements are paid for locally.

The local ownership of the initiative is reflected in that there is no one prescribed Heartland Services model. Several forms have been adopted depending on the needs and circumstances of the community and the most effective use of available resources.

Responsive Service

The benefit of co-ordinated state agencies to the community cannot be overstated. The contribution state agencies make, working together, is of more value than when they work alone.

Clients presenting at Heartland’s Centres usually have more than one issue they need help with. Sometimes these issues appear to the client to be intractable and can often be longstanding issues. Often clients do not realise what help is available. Having a number of government and community services under one roof means there is an increased opportunity for these organisations to take a coordinated approach to client needs. The Heartland’s approach enables government and community agencies to offer seamless, coherent client services.

Focused Implementation

Heartland Service Centres were established and started operating quickly, with the network expanding nationally within a relatively short time period. This was achieved by co-locating with existing government agencies in the first instance, eg Work and Income, moving into community organisation premises and finally resulting in purpose built facilities.

The actual location of the Heartland’s Centres depends on the needs of the community. Wherever possible, the Centres are located in the centre of the township, to afford ease of access and provide high visibility of the Centre and its services to locals.

Personalised Service and Responsive

Each centre has a service co-ordinator who provides a personal response to the needs of local people wanting information or services. The service coordinators are people who are well connected and networked into their community. Their knowledge of their community coupled with their personal commitment and resourcefulness in assisting members of the public is a major factor in the success of this initiative.

The coordinator is pivotal to providing a welcoming, informed and responsive service to locals. The appointment of the right person to the position is critical. They are the hub around which the services and the facilities revolve.

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The impact that Heartland Service Centres has had can be measured in two ways. Firstly, through the different ways government agencies are now working together and secondly in the direct impact on people’s lives in the rural and isolated communities serviced by the Centres.

Clients are saying that government services delivered in their communities are less fragmented and disjointed. They feel more informed about available government services, and with the number of government agencies participating in Heartlands growing over time the feeling of isolation and abandonment has reduced. Access to government services has improved through the assistance of coordinators. Instead of a single service response being provided, government agencies may identify a suite of services across agencies, providing a seamless government service response.

The Heartland’s model has transformed the way government agencies work. It has made government agencies step back and look at how to work better together to meet the needs of the client. There is now a flow-on effect where some agencies are collaborating and combining their efforts in areas where they both have a presence but in separate localities.

In April 2006 we commissioned a customer satisfaction survey. We asked government agencies, community organisations and Centre clients how satisfied they were with the access we provide to government services, our facilities and our services. We rated highly in all areas with overall satisfaction at 96% for government, 95% for community organisations and 93% for the public.

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
The Heartlands concept is that of a ‘one-stop-shop’. It was established to encourage government agencies back to provincial towns by providing them with a base. The ‘one-stop-shop’ concept is equally valuable in an urban setting particularly for specific populations i.e. the young, the old, ethnic minorities, those with no transport.

In 2003 the Heartland’s ‘one-stop-shop’ concept commenced trialling in urban areas where the public found it difficult to access the services they needed. The urban centres have been very successful and another one is currently under development.

A further variation has been to apply the concept to client groups as opposed to being purely geographically focused. For example the establishment of seven Early Years Service Hubs (catering for families with children aged under 5 years) in high need areas provide a central point where families can access a range of services, from ante natal care through to parenting support and education. The worker attached to each hub keep families connected to core services.

The approach could be taken even further. Heartlands has the potential to be the starting point for more co-ordinated planning and delivery of services and programmes, in the first instance across government agencies and potentially between government and non-government agencies, that will ensure easier access to and better outcomes for clients.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The Pivotal Role of the Co-ordinator

Co-ordinators are a vital part of the Heartland Services formula. The key success factor for the Heartland Service Centre becoming an accepted part of the community is the co-ordinator’s standing in their own community. They are generally high profile individuals, well connected to local networks, whose welcoming and friendly nature invites locals to enter the centre and access available services time and time again. Their connection to the community helps build the bridge between government services, community organisations and local people.

The co-ordinators’ performance directly impacts on clients. The role has moved from co-ordination to be more akin to a case manager approach. In fact, they are a problem solver. The role involves relationship building, identifying areas of concern to be addressed and then finally bringing together a suite of services to meet the client’s needs, while doing it in a way that makes the client feel respected and valued.

Relationships are important for accessing services. It is often the case that having a contact, or knowing who to go to, opens the door to accessing services.

You Can’t Beat Face-to-Face Services

People want the face-to-face contact, the opportunity to build relationships with a person, someone who can be trusted and responsive to their own unique circumstances. Often queries do not fit a standard format.

The people more likely to rely on intermediaries to support service access are likely to have low education levels and be affected by ethnic and cultural barriers. Government processes can make it difficult for people to access services. For example if people are unable to read and write well, filling out forms can be difficult. People with low literacy levels are more likely to be less articulate, to lack confidence and self-esteem, and to be reluctant to seek assistance from officials/bureaucrats.

Services Available from the Same Location Provide Better Customer Service

The ‘one-stop-shop’ approach recognised the importance of co-locating Government and community organisations under one roof. Co-location works as they cluster services in one place which makes access easy, and promotes a greater degree of co-ordination. Often clients requiring support also usually require a range of services. Seamless service provision can be a reality. An agency, whether government or community, can do its job better when its front line staff are networked into other stakeholders. There are major benefits for clients and communities when government and non-government agencies are able to co-located. For example, agencies benefit from promoting awareness of their services to other agencies and non-government organisations.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Ministry of Social Development
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   Amanda Duncan
Title:   Team Manager Corporate Communications  
Telephone/ Fax:   +64 4 916 3219
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   amanda.duncan004@msd.govt.nz  
Address:   PO Box 1556
Postal Code:   6140
City:   Wellington
State/Province:   Wellington
Country:   New Zealand

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