Dame Margaret Clara Bazley (née Hope, born 23 January 1938) is a New Zealand
public servant. She began her career as a psychiatric nurse and rose through the ranks to senior leadership positions at psychiatric hospitals and district health boards. In 1978 she became the Director of Nursing at the
Department of Health
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
, the chief nursing position in New Zealand and at that time the most senior position in the public service held by a woman, and in 1984 became the first female
State Services Commissioner. She subsequently held top positions at the
Department of Transport
The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
and the
Department of Social Welfare.
In 2012 Bazley was made an additional member of the
Order of New Zealand, New Zealand's highest honour. She has continued with public sector work throughout her retirement and has a reputation for reform, transformational leadership and problem-solving.
Early life and nursing career
Bazley was born in
Paeroa
Paeroa is a town in the Hauraki District of the Waikato Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou River and Ohinemuri River, and is approximately 20 k ...
on 23 January 1938.
She has said that as a child she had the ambition of becoming a psychiatric nurse.
Bazley attended
Waihi College, and left school at 18 to begin working as a psychiatric nurse in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
.
In the late 1950s, she earned a Diploma of Nursing from
Massey University.
She became the
charge nurse
Nursing management consists of the performance of the leadership functions of governance and decision-making within organizations employing nurses. It includes processes common to all management like planning, organizing, staffing, directing and ...
at
Tokanui Hospital in 1961, and rose quickly through the ranks to become assistant matron at
Seacliff Mental Hospital
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum (often Seacliff Asylum, later Seacliff Mental Hospital) was a psychiatric hospital in Seacliff, New Zealand. When built in the late 19th century, it was the largest building in the country, noted for its scale and extrava ...
in 1963, and matron at
Sunnyside Hospital from 1965 to 1973.
In later life Bazley has said that she regards her time as matron at Sunnyside Hospital as the pinnacle of her nursing career, because she and her team were at the forefront of a change from a custodial psychiatric care model to a model based on therapy.
She was the lead author of a textbook ''The Nurse and the Psychiatric Patient'' (1973), and had a paper about the hospital published in an international journal. She was an early proponent of
deinstitutionalisation
Deinstitutionalisation (or deinstitutionalization) is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability. In the lat ...
and of treating psychiatric patients as human beings.
Another of her achievements in this role was to unify the facility; both staff and patients had previously been separated by gender.
In 1971, Bazley was elected President of the New Zealand Nurses Association (now part of the
New Zealand Nurses Organisation
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is New Zealand's largest trade union and professional organisation that represents the nursing profession, midwives and caregivers.
It is one of the oldest organisations of this type in the world, trac ...
), and she held this position from 1972 to 1974.
She advocated in this role for better pay and respect for nurses.
Bazley held other leadership positions at hospitals over the next few years: in 1973 she worked as the Senior Public Health Nurse in the
Auckland District Health Office, from 1974 to 1975 she was the Deputy Matron in Chief for the Auckland Hospital Board, and from 1975 to 1978 she worked as the Chief Nursing Officer of the Waikato Hospital Board.
Before she left the nursing profession, she was instrumental in transferring nursing education in New Zealand from hospitals into the education system.
Career in the public service
In 1978, Bazley became the Director of Nursing at the
Department of Health
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
. This was the chief nursing position in New Zealand and at that time the most senior position in the public service held by a woman.
In 2013, Bazley commented: "For years I was usually the only woman in a crowd of men, giving rise to many memorable experiences, such as being taken to parliamentary committees and put in the front row so that all could see that the Health Department had a woman in its senior ranks".
She held this role until 1984.
In 1984, Bazley was appointed as the first woman Commissioner of the
State Services Commission (one of four State Services Commissioners in post at that time).
She was the driving force behind New Zealand's public sector restructuring that took place in the 1980s and the replacement of government departments with
state-owned enterprises.
Her role also involved work on equal employment opportunities for women and the establishment of the
Ministry of Women's Affairs.
From 1988 to 1993, she was the Secretary for
Transport
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...
, a role which made her the first woman to head a major government department.
In this role she helped lead de-regulation in the transport sector, introduced initiatives to reduce the
road toll and significantly reduced the department's workforce.
From 1993 to 2001, Bazley was the Director-General of the
Department of Social Welfare.
During this time she oversaw the major restructuring of the department, and the establishment of Work and Income New Zealand, the
Department of Child, Youth and Family Services and the Ministry of Social Policy, which was then amalgamated with the Department to become the
Ministry of Social Development in 2001.
Retirement and later career
Despite retiring from the public service in 2001, Bazley has continued to hold a number of important public sector roles, particularly in governance and conducting high-profile inquiries.
From 2001 to 2008, she was the chairperson of the
Foundation for Research, Science and Technology
The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology ( mi, Tūāpapa Rangahau Pūtaiao) was a Crown entity of New Zealand, established by the Foundation for Research, Science, and Technology Act 1990.
It had the stated mission of "investing for ...
. From 1998 to 2011 she was the chairperson of the
New Zealand Fire Service Commission
The New Zealand Fire Service Commission was the overseeing authority controlling the New Zealand Fire Service and the New Zealand National Rural Fire Authority. A Crown entity reporting to the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Commission was es ...
.
She was a member of the
Waitangi Tribunal
The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on cla ...
from 2001 to 2011 and continued to sit on ongoing inquiry panels after this date.
From 2006 to 2013, Bazley was the Registrar of MPs' Pecuniary Interests, responsible for compiling and maintaining the register of MPs' pecuniary and certain other interests. From 2007 to 2008, Bazley was one of the three commissioners of the
Royal Commission on Auckland Governance, established to investigate local government arrangements in Auckland, and the commission's report led to the establishment of the unitary
Auckland Council. Bazley has also continued voluntary work in her retirement,
and is the
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
of the New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses and the United Fire Brigades' Association of New Zealand.
Balzey has had particular influence in justice system reforms. Bazley led a Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct, launched in 2004 after
Louise Nicholas
Louise Nicholas is a New Zealand campaigner for the rights of women who have been victims of sexual violence. She has made rape allegations against at least nine men, including at least seven police officers. Although none of these allegations h ...
made rape allegations against high-ranking New Zealand police officers. She issued her report in 2007 which identified a number of systemic issues and matters of misconduct and made 60 recommendations (47 for the Police, 12 for the
Independent Police Conduct Authority
The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA, ) is an independent civilian oversight body that considers complaints against the New Zealand Police and oversees their conduct. It derives its responsibilities and powers from thIndependent Police ...
and one for the government). Her findings were accepted by the Commissioner of Police and a ten-year monitoring and reporting regime was put in place. In 2009, Bazley was appointed by then Minister of Justice
Simon Power to review
legal aid in New Zealand
The legal aid system in New Zealand provides government-funded legal assistance to those who are unable to afford a lawyer. Legal aid is available for almost all court actions across all levels of the court system. This includes criminal charge ...
after reports that lawyers were taking advantage of the system. Her report, released in November of that year, found that the system was facing serious challenges and system-wide failings, and was indeed open to abuse by a small but significant number of corrupt lawyers.
Her report led to a number of reforms including the introduction of new legislation and the expansion of the Public Defence Service.
Bazley was the chairwoman of the commissioners of regional council
Environment Canterbury
Environment Canterbury, frequently abbreviated to ECan. is the promotional name for the Canterbury Regional Council. It is the regional council for Canterbury, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's s ...
from 2009 to 2016.
The government appointed her to the role after dismissing the elected councillors in 2009.
In its report on her appointment, Christchurch newspaper ''
The Press
''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...
'' described Bazley as the "chief government troubleshooter".
On her retirement she was praised by local groups including
Ngāi Tahu
Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point ...
and
Federated Farmers
Federated Farmers of New Zealand is a lobby and advocacy group for all farmers: arable including fruit and vegetables, dairy and meat and their often remote communities. It has a network of 24 regional organisations and six industry groups. F ...
for contributing to significantly improved relationships between their members and the council. Christchurch mayor
Lianne Dalziel
Lianne Audrey Dalziel (; born 7 June 1960) is a New Zealand politician and former Mayor of Christchurch. Prior to this position, she was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for 23 years, serving as Minister of Immigration, Commerce, Minister ...
praised Bazley for her "legacy of excellence" during her public service career.
''The Press'' editorial said she had "left the region stronger" and that her standout achievement was to "galvanise the region's 10 mayors into a shared vision through the Canterbury Regional Economic Development Strategy".
In 2018, Bazley was engaged by New Zealand law firm
Russell McVeagh to lead an inquiry into claims of sexual harassment and assault at the firm. Her report was published in July 2018. She found that the firm had a "work hard, play hard" culture that involved excessive drinking and in some cases inappropriate behaviour, but that this culture had changed over the past couple of years. She also found failings in the firm's response to the incidents and made 48 recommendations for improvement, which were accepted by the firm. The president of the
New Zealand Law Society
The New Zealand Law Society ( mi, Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa) is the parent body for barristers and solicitors in New Zealand. It was established in 1869, and regulates all lawyers practising in New Zealand. Membership of the society is voluntary, ...
, Kathryn Beck, said the report was an "important milestone in shining light into the dark corners of our profession" and that she hoped it would help improve the culture of New Zealand law firms.
Honours and awards
Bazley was awarded the
New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal in 1990, and the
New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal
The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 was established by Royal Warrant on 1 July 1993. It was created to commemorate Women's suffrage in New Zealand and to recognize those New Zealand and Commonwealth citizens who had made a significant ...
in 1993.
In the
1999 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a
Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...
, for public services, lately as chief executive of the Department of Social Welfare. She was made an additional member of the
Order of New Zealand in the
2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours. She said she felt that the thousands of public servants she had worked with during her career also shared in this honour.
Bazley received a
Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award in 2011. She is also a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management and a Fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Transport
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) is a professional body representing the transport and logistics industries worldwide. It is a membership-based organisation with over 30,000 members in over 30 countries. This i ...
.
Several universities have recognised Bazley for her contributions to public life. She received an honorary
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...
from Massey University in 2008, an honorary degree in natural resources from
Lincoln University in 2018,
and an honorary
Doctor of Laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...
from Victoria University of Wellington in 2019.
The Chancellor of Victoria University described her as "one of this country’s most accomplished public servants".
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bazley, Margaret
1938 births
Living people
New Zealand public servants
New Zealand women public servants
New Zealand nurses
People from Paeroa
Massey University alumni
Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Members of the Order of New Zealand
New Zealand women nurses
Members of the Waitangi Tribunal
Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993
Canterbury regional councillors