How to Measure Success in NZ Public Sector Marketing and Communications

As a marketing or communications professional in the New Zealand public sector, you grapple with a unique and complex challenge. You’re not chasing profits or market share. You’re working to inform, engage, and serve the public, often with limited resources and under intense scrutiny. This raises a critical question, one that echoes in ministry boardrooms and council meetings across Aotearoa: how should you measure success in public sector marketing and communications? The pressure to demonstrate value is immense, but traditional private-sector metrics like Return on Investment (ROI) often fall short, failing to capture the true essence of what you aim to achieve.

Why measurement matters in NZ public sector marketing

Accountability for taxpayer spend. Cabinet’s 2017 Guidelines for Government Advertising require every campaign to demonstrate value for money and meet principles of legality, accuracy, political neutrality and fairness. publicservice.govt.nz
Evidence-based decision-making. High-quality metrics let communications leaders shift investment to what works, reduce waste and comply with Public Finance Act reporting obligations.
Public trust and confidence. Te Kawa Mataaho’s Kiwis Count survey tracks satisfaction and trust annually; strategic communications can move these indicators—especially for Māori and Pacific communities—when success is measured and iterated. publicservice.govt.nz
Behaviour change and wellbeing. Many government campaigns—road safety, vaccination, digital inclusion—only succeed if citizens act. Without robust outcome metrics, agencies risk mistaking reach for impact.

Why Traditional ROI is a Flawed Metric for the Public Sector

In the corporate world, the formula is simple: spend money on marketing, generate more sales, and calculate the return on your investment. Success is measured in dollars. For government and public entities, however, this model is fundamentally misaligned with the core purpose of your work. Your goal isn't profit; it's public value.

Think about a campaign to increase participation in a national health screening programme. A campaign to encourage water conservation during a drought. Or communications designed to build public trust in a new government service. The "return" in these scenarios isn't a dollar figure. It’s a healthier population, a more resilient environment, and a more engaged citizenry. Attempting to shoehorn these profound outcomes into a simple financial ROI formula is not only difficult—it’s misleading. It devalues the very social and civic impact you are striving to create.

The public sector’s success is measured in improved lives, stronger communities, and greater public trust. Therefore, our measurement frameworks must evolve to reflect this deeper, more significant purpose. We must shift our focus from a narrow financial return to a broader concept of public value.

Shifting the Focus: From ROI to a Public Value Framework

To truly measure what matters, we need a different lens. A Public Value Framework provides a holistic approach that evaluates success based on the outcomes and services that citizens and society deem valuable. It moves the conversation from "How much money did we make?" to "What positive impact did we create?"

What is Public Value in a New Zealand Context?

In Aotearoa, public value is intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of its people, the health of its environment, and the strength of its communities. It is shaped by unique cultural and civic principles, most notably:

Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Effective public sector communications must honour the principles of partnership, participation, and protection. Measuring success, therefore, includes assessing how well you have engaged with and reflected the needs and aspirations of Māori.
Spirit of Service (Te Kawa Mataaho): The public service is driven by a commitment to serve the community, to be responsive, and to act with integrity. Your communications are a primary vehicle for demonstrating this spirit of service.
Wellbeing Objectives: Guided by frameworks like the Living Standards Framework, success is increasingly defined by its contribution to broader societal wellbeing—be it social connection, environmental quality, or civic engagement.

The Three Pillars of Public Value Measurement

A robust public value measurement model for communications can be built on three core pillars:

Outcomes and Impact: Did your communications contribute to the desired behavioural or social change? This is about measuring the real-world effect of your work.
Trust and Confidence: Did your communications enhance the public's trust in your organisation and the public service as a whole? This measures the relational impact.
Efficiency and Effectiveness: Did you use public resources wisely to achieve your objectives? This measures operational performance and stewardship.

By evaluating your efforts against these three pillars, you can paint a much richer, more accurate picture of your success than any ROI calculation ever could.

Principles, policies and frameworks you must follow

Government Advertising Guidelines

These Cabinet-mandated rules set the ethical baseline for any paid or unpaid communication. They require clear objectives, pre-campaign peer review and post-campaign evaluation that is “proportionate to spend”. publicservice.govt.nz

OASIS Campaign Planning & Scoring

Originally developed by the UK Government Communication Service, OASIS (Objective, Audience insight, Strategy, Implementation, Scoring) is now widely adopted by NZ ministries because it maps cleanly onto Cabinet expectations for rigour and transparency. gcs.civilservice.gov.uk

Digital Strategy for Aotearoa & AI Guidance

The Digital Strategy’s action plan stresses “Mahi Tika—Trust” and mandates privacy-preserving analytics plus accessibility compliance. Government Chief Digital Officer guidance on Generative AI (2024) adds extra checkpoints for data provenance and bias. digital.govt.nz dns.govt.nz

Trust and Confidence Metrics

Te Kawa Mataaho measures trust quarterly across all agencies. Aligning campaign KPIs with these system-level indicators strengthens the case for budget and shows line-of-sight to public value.

What are the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Public Sector Comms?

Once you’ve embraced a public value framework, the next step is to identify the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These are the specific, measurable data points that will show you how you’re performing against your objectives. Below is a "metric menu" organised by key areas of focus. You don’t need to use all of them; the key is to select the ones that are most relevant to your specific campaign goals.

Digital Engagement Metrics: Beyond the Vanity Numbers

In the digital age, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of data. The challenge is to focus on metrics that signify genuine engagement and progress towards your goals, rather than just "vanity metrics" like raw follower counts or page likes.

Website & Content Analytics

Your website is often the central hub of your digital presence. Measuring its performance is crucial.

Goal Completions: This is your most important website metric. Use tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to track specific actions that align with your campaign goals. Examples include:
- Form submissions for a new service.
- Downloads of a PDF guide or resource.
- Clicks on a link to a partner organisation's website.
- Video plays of an informational message.
Website Traffic Sources: Understand where your audience is coming from. Is your social media campaign driving traffic? Is your content ranking well in search engines (organic search)? This helps you understand which channels are most effective.
User Engagement: Look at metrics like Engaged sessions (sessions that lasted longer than 10 seconds, had a conversion event, or had at least 2 pageviews) and Average engagement time. High engagement suggests your content is relevant and valuable to your audience.
User Flow Analysis: Track the paths users take through your website. Are they easily finding the information they need, or are they getting stuck and leaving?

Social Media Engagement

Social media is a powerful tool for dialogue and dissemination, but its true value lies in meaningful interaction.

True Engagement Rate: Go beyond likes. Calculate your engagement rate based on comments, shares, and saves. The formula (Comments + Shares + Saves) / Impressions * 100 provides a much better indicator of resonant content than one that includes simple likes.
Sentiment Analysis: What is the tone of the conversation around your campaign? Are comments predominantly positive, negative, or neutral? Tools can automate this analysis, giving you a pulse on public perception.
Share of Voice: How much of the online conversation about a specific topic (e.g., water safety) is associated with your organisation compared to others? This helps you gauge your influence and authority.
Click-Through Rate (CTR) on Links: If your goal is to drive traffic to a specific webpage, the CTR from your social media posts is a vital KPI. It shows whether your call-to-action is compelling enough to make people act.

Email & Newsletter Performance

Direct communication via email remains one of the most effective channels.

Open Rate: A measure of how compelling your subject line is.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of email recipients who clicked on one or more links contained in an email. This is a primary indicator of how engaging your content is.
Subscriber Growth Rate: A healthy, growing list of engaged subscribers is a significant asset for any public organisation.
Unsubscribe Rate: While some unsubscribes are normal, a sudden spike can indicate a problem with your content or frequency.

Service Uptake & Behavioural Change Metrics

For many public sector campaigns, the ultimate goal is to get people to do something. This is where you measure the direct impact on citizen behaviour and the consumption of public services.

Tracking Transactional Goals: This involves measuring the increase in specific actions during and after your campaign.
- Examples: The number of applications for a new benefit, downloads of a government app, bookings for a vaccination, or submissions to a public consultation.
Measuring Behavioural Shifts: This is more challenging but is the gold standard for many public information campaigns.
- Methodology: This often requires data from outside your communications team. For a road safety campaign, it could be Police data on speeding infringements. For a waste reduction campaign, it could be council data on the weight of landfill waste.
- Pre- and Post-Campaign Analysis: The key is to establish a baseline before your campaign begins and then measure the change afterwards.
Attribution Models for Public Sector Campaigns: How do you know your communications caused the change? While perfect attribution is difficult, you can build a strong case by:
- Using unique URLs or tracking codes for different campaign channels.
- Running localised pilot campaigns and comparing the results to a control region.
- Correlating spikes in service uptake with the timeline of your marketing activities.
- Asking people directly through surveys ("How did you hear about this service?").

Public Perception & Trust Metrics

Trust is the currency of government. Effective communications should build and maintain public trust. While it can feel intangible, it is measurable.

Public Satisfaction Surveys: Regularly survey the public or specific user groups to gauge their satisfaction with your services and communications.
- Best Practices: Use consistent questions over time to track trends. Employ a mix of quantitative (e.g., "Rate your satisfaction on a scale of 1-10") and qualitative ("What could we do to improve?") questions.
Sentiment Analysis: As mentioned in the digital section, this can be applied more broadly to news media coverage as well as social media. Are news articles about your initiative generally positive or negative in their framing?
Measuring Trust in Government Institutions: Leverage broader national surveys, such as those conducted by Victoria University of Wellington or other research bodies, that track public trust in government. You can then correlate your major initiatives with any shifts in these trends.
Media Monitoring and Analysis:
- Volume of Mentions: How often is your organisation or campaign mentioned in the media?
- Reach: What is the potential audience size of the media outlets mentioning you?
- Key Message Penetration: Are the media accurately reporting your key messages? This is a critical measure of communication effectiveness.

How to Build a Measurement Framework for Your Campaign

Having a list of KPIs is one thing; implementing them effectively is another. A structured measurement framework ensures you are tracking the right things, at the right time, for the right reasons.

Step 1: Start with 'Why' - Defining Clear Objectives

Before you measure anything, you must know what you are trying to achieve. Every communication activity should be tied to a clear, specific organisational goal. Use the SMART criteria, adapted for the public sector:

Specific: What exactly do you want to accomplish? (e.g., "Increase the number of first-home buyers using our online eligibility checker.")
Measurable: How will you quantify success? (e.g., "Achieve 10,000 completed eligibility checks.")
Achievable: Is this a realistic goal given your resources and timeframe?
Relevant: Does this goal contribute to your organisation's strategic priorities and public value?
Time-bound: When will you achieve this goal by? (e.g., "by the end of the fiscal year.")

Step 2: Identify Your Audience and Desired Outcomes

Who are you trying to reach, and what do you want them to Think, Feel, and Do as a result of your communication?

Think: What information or key message do you want them to understand and recall?
Feel: What emotional response or change in attitude are you hoping to evoke (e.g., feel more confident, less anxious, more trusting)?
Do: What specific action do you want them to take?

Mapping your objectives to these three areas helps you select a balanced set of metrics that cover awareness, perception, and action.

Step 3: Choose the Right KPIs and Metrics (The 'Metric Menu')

Now, refer back to the KPI lists above. Based on your objectives and desired outcomes, select a small number of primary KPIs that will be your main indicators of success. Then, select a handful of secondary metrics that provide additional context.

Example:

Objective: Increase online passport renewals by 20% in 6 months.
Primary KPIs:
- Number of completed online renewal applications.
- Cost per completed application.
Secondary KPIs:
- Website traffic to the passport renewal page.
- Click-through rate from campaign ads.
- User satisfaction score on the post-application survey.

Step 4: Select Your Tools and Technology Stack

You can’t measure what you can’t track. Ensure you have the right tools in place.

Website Analytics: Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the standard and is free.
Social Media Analytics: Most platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) have robust native analytics. For cross-platform analysis, consider tools like Sprout Social or Hootsuite.
Survey Tools: SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, or even simple Google Forms can be effective.
Media Monitoring: Services like Isentia or Meltwater are essential for tracking media mentions.
Dashboards: Google Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) is a powerful, free tool for pulling data from multiple sources into one visual dashboard.

Step 5: Establish a Baseline for Measurement

You can only demonstrate improvement if you know where you started. Before launching your campaign, capture baseline data for your chosen KPIs. This might be data from the previous month, the same period last year, or from a control group. This pre-campaign snapshot is your benchmark for success.

Core metric categories and how to track them

Website & Digital Service Analytics

Unique users, sessions, pages per session (Google Analytics 4, Matomo).
Task completion rate (e.g., passport renewal).
Conversion funnel drop-off to identify UX barriers.
Accessibility compliance errors via automated WCAG checks.

Social Media Engagement & Sentiment

Engagement rate per post (likes + comments + shares ÷ reach).
Average response time to public queries (service quality).
Sentiment score via natural-language processing; classify by topic to spot emerging issues.
Community growth in priority segments (e.g., Pacific-language pages).

Behaviour Change & Service Uptake

The gold standard is administrative data showing real-world actions. Health NZ’s 2023 Winter Wellness campaign measured 1.1 – 1.2 million New Zealanders choosing to stay home sick, directly linked to campaign exposure. nzmarketingmag.co.nz

Trust, Reputation & Equity

Kiwis Count trust score change pre- and post-campaign.
Media coverage quality index (tone, reach, audience).
Equity lens metrics—did Māori, Pasifika, disabled communities experience comparable benefits?

Step 6: Implement, Monitor, and Iterate

Measurement is not a one-off task you do at the end of a campaign. It's an ongoing process.

Monitor: Check your dashboards regularly (weekly or bi-weekly) to see what's working and what isn't.
Analyse: Look for trends, successes, and anomalies. Why did one social media post perform so much better than another? Why did website traffic dip last week?
Iterate: Use these insights to make real-time adjustments to your strategy. This agile approach allows you to optimise your campaign for maximum impact, rather than waiting until it's over to find out it was ineffective.

Creating a Compelling Reporting Dashboard

Data is useless if it isn't understood. The final, crucial step is to present your findings in a way that is clear, compelling, and drives action. A well-designed dashboard tells a story with data.

Who is Your Audience? Tailoring Reports

The report you create for your direct manager should be different from the one you present to a minister or a senior leadership team.

For Senior Leaders/Ministers: Focus on the big picture. Lead with the high-level outcomes and how they connect to strategic priorities (public value). Use simple charts and minimal jargon.
For Managers/Team Members: Provide more granular detail. Show performance by channel, highlight key learnings, and focus on operational metrics that can inform day-to-day decisions.

Visualising Data for Impact

Use charts and graphs to make your data digestible.

Line charts are great for showing trends over time.
Bar charts are effective for comparing categories (e.g., performance by channel).
Single scorecards are perfect for highlighting your main KPIs.
Pie charts should be used sparingly, only for showing parts of a whole when there are few categories.

Weaving a Narrative: Connecting Metrics to Strategic Goals

Your report should be more than just a collection of charts. It needs a narrative. Structure your report like a story:

The Executive Summary: Start with a brief overview. What were the campaign goals? What were the headline results? (e.g., "Our campaign to promote the new digital service successfully reached over 500,000 New Zealanders and resulted in 15,000 sign-ups, exceeding our target by 25%.")
Key Results & KPIs: Present the data from your dashboard, with brief annotations explaining what each chart shows.
Insights & Learnings: This is the most important part. What did you learn? What worked well and why? What didn't work and what will you do differently next time?
Recommendations & Next Steps: Based on the data, what do you recommend? Should the campaign be extended? Should the budget be reallocated?

Common Challenges in Public Sector Measurement (And How to Overcome Them)

The path to effective measurement is not without its obstacles. Here are some common challenges faced by NZ public sector communicators and how to tackle them.

The Attribution Puzzle: Proving Your Comms Caused the Effect

Challenge: A citizen's decision is influenced by many factors. How can you prove it was your campaign that led to a specific action?

Solution: Focus on "contribution" over "attribution." You may not be able to prove your comms were 100% responsible, but you can build a strong, evidence-based case that they were a key contributing factor. Use a mix of data points: correlations in timing, user feedback from surveys, and unique tracking links all help to build this picture.

Recommended data-collection and analytics tools

Purpose	Tools (NZ-friendly)	Notes
Web analytics	Google Analytics 4, Matomo (on-premise), Piwik PRO	GA4’s BigQuery export supports privacy-enhanced modelling.
Social listening	Sprout Social, Brandwatch, Meltwater, Dot Loves Data	Check data retention complies with Privacy Act 2020.
Surveys & feedback	Kiwis Count templates, Qualtrics, Dovetail	Embed short polls at e-service completion.
Dashboards	Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, Apache Superset	Many agencies already licence Power BI via AoG agreement.
AI & predictive	Azure OpenAI + Power BI integration, Google Vertex AI	Early pilots show 1–2 hours/day saved per staffer.

Measuring Long-Term Outcomes

Challenge: Many public sector goals, like improving public health or social cohesion, take years or even decades to achieve. How do you measure success in the short term?

Solution: Use a "Theory of Change" or "Logic Model." This involves mapping out the short-term and intermediate steps that lead to your long-term goal. For a public health campaign, you might not see a change in disease rates for years, but you can measure short-term "leading indicators" like:

Increased calls to a health helpline.
Increased traffic to informational web pages.
Increased positive public sentiment about the health issue.

Budget and Resource Constraints

Challenge: You don't have a corporate-sized budget for expensive analytics tools and large-scale surveys.

Solution: Be pragmatic and resourceful. There is a wealth of powerful, free tools available (Google Analytics, Google Looker Studio, platform-native social media analytics). For surveys, short "pulse" surveys can be highly effective and low-cost. Focus on getting the fundamentals right before worrying about sophisticated, expensive solutions.

Navigating Political Sensitivities and OIA Requests

Challenge: Your results are subject to public and political scrutiny, and can be requested under the Official Information Act (OIA).

Solution: This is an argument for robust measurement, not against it. Having a clear, transparent, and evidence-based measurement framework protects you. It shows that your decisions are based on data, not whim. Ensure your reporting is objective and frames results (both good and bad) as opportunities for learning and improvement.

Case Studies: Measuring Success in Action (NZ Examples)

Let's bring this to life with some New Zealand case studies.

Case Study 1: Health NZ Winter Wellness 2023

Objective: Reduce pressure on EDs by encouraging sick Kiwis to stay home.
Key metrics: reach 2.2 million; Māori reach = 78 %; cost per influenced action $0.27.
Outcome: Estimated 1.1 – 1.2 million people stayed home, easing hospital load. nzmarketingmag.co.nz

Case Study 2: NZ Digital Government – SmartStart

Objective: Move birth-registration online.
Metrics: 92 % of births registered via SmartStart within first two years; average time saved per parent 40 minutes. desapublications.un.org

Case Study 3: Inland Revenue – myIR Upgrade

Objective: Lift self-service tax returns.
Metrics: 1.7 million individuals filed online in 2024; call-centre volume down 38 %, saving ~$12 M in staffing. (Internal performance report, 2025).

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Pitfall	Why it hurts	Quick fix
Vanity metrics (impressions, likes)	Mask whether behaviour changed	Tie each metric to an objective; prioritise outcomes/impacts.
Data silos	Fragmented view obscures equity gaps	Adopt common identifiers (e.g., ANZSOG demographic codes) and shared dashboards.
Under-represented voices	Campaign may widen inequities	Co-design metrics with Māori, Pasifika, disabled communities; oversample surveys.
Delayed feedback loops	Lost chance to optimise	Use real-time dashboards and change creative mid-flight.

The Future of Measurement in NZ Public Sector Comms

The field of measurement is constantly evolving. Looking ahead, three key trends will shape how we measure success in New Zealand.

The Role of AI and Predictive Analytics

Artificial Intelligence will help automate much of the data analysis process, from sentiment analysis to identifying which content is most likely to resonate with specific audience segments. Predictive analytics may help us forecast campaign impacts with greater accuracy.

Integrating Te Ao Māori Perspectives into Measurement

Meaningful measurement in Aotearoa requires moving beyond standard quantitative metrics to include qualitative measures that reflect Māori values and worldviews. This means co-designing measurement frameworks with iwi and Māori partners and valuing outcomes like strengthened relationships, increased trust, and mana-enhancing engagement.

A Move Towards Real-time, Integrated Data

The future is integrated dashboards where data from communications, service delivery, and public surveys are all viewed in one place. This will allow for a truly holistic view of public value and enable organisations to be far more agile and responsive to public needs.

Conclusion: From Justification to Learning

Ultimately, learning how to measure success in public sector marketing and communications is about a fundamental shift in mindset. It’s about moving away from using data as a tool for justification and towards using it as a tool for learning and continuous improvement.

Your value is not in a manufactured ROI figure. It is in the clarity you bring to complex issues, the trust you build between the public and its institutions, and the positive behaviours you encourage that lead to a better, healthier, and more prosperous Aotearoa for all. By embracing a robust, public-value-focused measurement framework, you can not only prove that value but enhance it, ensuring your work has a lasting and meaningful impact.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How often should we report on our comms performance?

A: It depends on the context. For active campaigns, you should be monitoring performance dashboards weekly to allow for agile adjustments. Formal reports for leadership are typically best done on a monthly or quarterly basis, with a comprehensive wrap-up report at the end of a major campaign.

Q: What's the most important metric to track?

A: There is no single "most important" metric; it is entirely dependent on your campaign's specific goal. However, the closest thing to a universal top-tier metric is a "goal completion" – a specific, desired action taken by the user, whether it's downloading a form, signing up for a service, or completing a survey.

Q: How can a small team with a limited budget effectively measure success?

A: Focus on the fundamentals and leverage free tools. Start with clear, simple objectives. Use Google Analytics (GA4) for your website and the built-in analytics on your social media platforms. Create a simple dashboard in Google Looker Studio. Even tracking 2-3 core KPIs consistently is far better than tracking nothing at all.

Q: How do we measure the success of communications aimed at building relationships with iwi?

A: This requires a qualitative and relational approach, not just quantitative data. Success measures might include co-designing the metrics with your iwi partners. Indicators could include positive feedback from hui, increased iwi participation in consultations, inclusion of te reo Māori and cultural narratives in your communications, and achieving mutually agreed-upon outcomes. It's about measuring the health of the partnership.

Q: Can you really measure 'trust'?

A: Yes, though it's often measured indirectly. You can measure trust through consistent public surveys that ask direct questions like, "How much do you trust [Organisation Name] to provide accurate information?" You can also track proxy metrics like public sentiment, the credibility of media coverage, and the willingness of the public to engage with you and use your services. Tracking these indicators over time provides a strong measure of trust levels.

Q: Which tools respect NZ privacy laws?

Matomo (self-hosted), Piwik PRO and GA4 with IP anonymisation all comply when configured correctly; always complete a Privacy Impact Assessment.

Q: Can AI safely analyse citizen comments?

Yes—provided models are trained on anonymised data and outputs are human-reviewed for bias. Follow GCDO AI guidance issued 2024

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