[RcouF1uZ4gsC]

> New Zealand has very strong separation between policy makers (the government) and the agencies that enforce policies. The government can't tell the police what to do, they can't tell treasury what to do, they can't tell defence what to do, etc. All they can do is write policy, approve funding, and request help.

Seems like it is less a democracy than rule by a professional elite with a thin veneer of elections to keep the people happy.

[disordinary]

No, there is a lot of transparency and oversight, including to any member of the public, and ultimately the government sets policy. I can just request any document, and in fact I used to work in the public service where a coworker would frequently request any correspondence about him by staff or managers under the official information act. He was paranoid but had the ability to do it.

An example is during covid, the government set policy around what could be done but the police were ultimately in charge with how they enforced it. Additionally New Zealand has a culture of egalitarianism and community. While there is growing inequality, there isn't an elite yet.

The government provides checks on the public service and the public service provides checks on the government.

Another example is the treasury prevents the government going into debt unless there are extreme circumstances and a plan to get back into surplus. The government can't just cut taxes and up borrowing to buy votes, they need to be fiscally responsible and that's controlled by the treasury.

Ultimately New Zealand has a reasonably direct, accessable, and transparent form of government which represents the community that it serves, it is rated top in the democracy list for a reason.