OPSC Media Release: Cook Islands attends the Pacific Public Service Leaders Conference

28 November 2024

Rarotonga, Cook Islands 28 November 2024 - The Office of the Public Service Commissioner (OPSC) recently participated in the annual meeting of the Pacific Public Service Leaders (PSL) FONO2024 in Samoa from 18-21 November 2024.  Hosted by the Government of Samoa through Samoa’s Public Service Commission. FONO2024 was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Samoa, Hon Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa, who set the tone for an engaging and collaborative event with a focus on resilience.  She stated “I have no doubt that this conference will continue to strengthen peer to peer relationships with the Public Service Leaders and provides a solid platform to advance dialogue and deliberations on shared solutions to address the challenges and priority needs of our Pacific Public Services ...”

The Cook Islands delegation comprised of the PSC, Carl Hunter, the Human Resources Manager, Tepaeru Tauraki and Policy and Planning Manager, Dorothy Solomona.

In addition to the Cook Islands, seventeen Pacific Island member countries were represented at  FONO2024 including, Australia, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

This year’s theme, “A Resilient Workforce Achieving Public Service Excellence, the Pacific Way,” centered on the importance of effective, efficient, and transparent public service delivery in the Pacific region. Acknowledging the crucial role of Public Services in ensuring the security, prosperity, and resilience of the region, the Fono aligned with the vision and values of the 2050 Regional Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, which aims to create a peaceful, resilient, safe, secure, and inclusive region where Pacific people can lead free, healthy, and productive lives.

Over the course of four days, the Fono featured a series of in-depth Panel discussions that addressed critical areas of focus for the Public Sector. The Panels explored workforce sustainability, service delivery excellence, public service reforms, integrity and ethics, and strengthening Public Sector capability. Key topics included strategies for sustaining and localizing the workforce the Pacific way, building resilience through remuneration and rewards, and maintaining high standards of integrity and ethical conduct within public service. These discussions are pivotal in shaping future strategies for a robust, ethical, and efficient public sector.

The Cook Islands’ PSC Carl Hunter was  on a Panel session relating to Ethics and Integrity and  stated that “It is crucial to have the right tools like Policies and Strategies in place to address unacceptable behavior by Public Servants, but equally important, is for Public Service Commissioners to possess the courage and resolve to use these tools when necessary.”

The Fono also provided opportunities for bilateral meetings between Pacific PSCs, strengthening relationships and sharing valuable resources and insights to improve Public Service performance across the region.  The Cook Islands’ delegation explored with other Pacific PSCs opportunities for leadership development support, and in particular, the potential for “twinning” opportunities with Samoa to enhance leadership capacity and capacity building in the two countries.

Commissioner Hunter acknowledged the generous funding support provided by the New Zealand Public Service Commission - Public Service Fale in funding travel and accommodation for all the Pacific delegates. 

For enquiries related to this release, please email OPSCMedia@cookislands.gov.ck.

ENDS

Photo: - FONO2024 Delegates with Hon. Fiame Naomi Mata'afa OPSC/1124