The New Zealand Public Service Association (PSA)

The PSA describes itself as the union for people working in the public sector and delivering public services. It is the largest public sector union in the country. Its membership comes from employers, including:

• public service departments and ministries
• local government authorities
• district health boards - mental health services, allied and public health professionals, technical staff, and clerical and administration staff.
• organisations providing disability and aged support services
• Crown research institutes
• State-owned enterprises
• tertiary institutions
• community-based organisations.

The PSA has an organiser associated with Northpower who works with Northpower workplace delegates. Eighty-five to 90 percent of Northpower's Northland staff is unionised. Over the years the company has been successful, the PSA has steadily grown its membership from zero to 130 members. Both the company and the PSA see this membership as beneficial to both parties.

The PSA nationally promotes across its public service constituencies an approach that entails working in partnership with Government employers. In 2000, the New Zealand Government and the PSA made a partnership commitment that encompassed a high-level agreement where both expressed an interest in quality jobs and quality public services. Several years later and following subsequent updates of agreements, Partnership for Quality has deepened its impact beyond core public service departments to now include other State sector agencies. The latest Partnership for Quality agreement sets new principles and expectations for all parties towards the development of modern, innovative and highly successful public services.

Partnership for Quality is based on the concept of "workplace partnership", which is defined as:

"...An active relationship between unions and employers to deliver outcomes that benefit the mutual interests of both parties."

Moving to a partnership approach requires at least three things:

• Respect - recognition and acknowledgment of the differing as well as shared interests of both employer and union.
• A willingness to do things differently - to take a risk.
• Commitment - a commitment to the success and advancement of the interests of the other partner. Although formal written agreements exist between various Government employers and the PSA, no such written agreement exists between the PSA and Northpower.

Northpower

Northpower's reason for being is "safe, reliable, hassle-free service". It is a Northland owned and operated company (with its head office based in Whangarei), and its growth and geographical expansion provides direct benefit back into the local economy through community sponsorship and line charge holidays. For example, since 1997, Northpower has returned $68 million to consumers via line charge "holidays" and, with over 750 employees, provides significant career and job opportunities within its community. As noted in Northpower's 2007 annual report, Northpower has shown consistently strong growth for the last 10 years, during which net returns have increased 300 percent. This was despite Northpower having to sell its electricity retailing business in 1999. It was a company that employed 160 people and has grown to over 750 employees today. The company is also the largest electricity distribution contractor in New Zealand.

Consumer Survey Company Colmar Brunton report that Northpower's ratings on reliability of power supply to consumers are very high, and those customers think that the performance in power supply and the costs they pay for that performance is appropriate.