The Public Service Commission has begun advertising for a new Secretary to the Treasury to replace Caralee McLiesh when her term ends in September.
McLiesh has served as chief executive and secretary to the Treasury since 2019 but told staff in July that she wouldn’t seek reappointment to the role. The NZ Herald reported this was partly due to wanting to be closer to her family, with her children ready to start university.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced she had been appointed as Auditor-General for Australia, starting in November. McLiesh is Australian and has previously served as a deputy secretary to the New South Wales Treasury.
This makes room for a new Treasury secretary to act as a spearhead in Finance Minister Nicola Willis and the Coalition Government’s campaign for greater efficiency in the public sector.
A job advert posted by an international recruitment firm said it was seeking a “change agent” to fulfill the role of Government’s chief economic and financial advisor.
“This is a rare opportunity to lead at a crucial time as the Government looks to turn around the performance of the New Zealand economy and improve fiscal management across the Public Service,” it said.
“The Secretary is expected to be a change agent who will challenge the status quo to lift economic performance, improve public service fiscal management, and extract better value for money from Government investments”.
The two prior Treasury Secretaries, Gabriel Makhlouf and John Whitehead, each served at least two terms and have gone on to other high profile jobs overseas.
McLiesh and Makhlouf were both international appointees, while Whitehead was a New Zealander. The job description asked for candidates who could be “well-connected to key parts of the New Zealand economy, including the business sector”.
Applications close in one month's time and McLiesh, who was paid roughly $650,000, will leave the role on September 14.
3 Comments
Just in time exit. With the economy in a deepening recession and monetary policy impotent to stop the descent, it is up to Treasury to step up. So, what are they doing? Stepping down. Eagerly advising a willing Govt to pursue further austerity. They think it's their moment in the sun but 2024/25 will be their rotten legacy.
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