Appendix 4: Approach and method used for our stakeholder feedback interviews and client surveys

Stakeholder feedback interviews

We use our stakeholder feedback interviews to assess how Parliament and other key stakeholders perceive the quality, relevance, and usefulness of our reports and advice.

Using an independent consultant, we seek feedback from a sample of stakeholders made up of 50% of select committees, a selection of central agencies, and other representative groups. For our 2009 feedback interviews, our consultant interviewed seven representatives of select committees and two representatives of our other stakeholders.

Our questions covered the stakeholders' satisfaction with the effect and effectiveness of our work, as well as their satisfaction with the quality, relevance, and usefulness of specific reports and types of advice.

Stakeholders were asked to respond to a series of qualitative open questions and to rate us in a number of areas on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being strongly disagree or very dissatisfied and 5 being strongly agree or very satisfied.

Client surveys

The Auditor-General uses an independent firm to conduct an annual client satisfaction survey of public entities audited by the Auditor-General. The firm surveys a random sample of public entities to measure the level of satisfaction and identify areas where we need to improve our audit services.

Before 2007/08, the survey sample was confined to public entities audited by Audit New Zealand. In 2007/08, we extended the sample to cover public entities audited by private sector accounting firms.

Representatives of a sample of these entities are invited to participate in a telephone interview to provide comment and to rate the following factors on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being very low and 10 being very high:

• audit service providers' core audit ability;
• audit service providers' staff knowledge;
• the way audit service providers' staff work with entities, including governing bodies and audit committees where relevant;
• the value that audit service providers add and the usefulness of the advice given;
• the performance and contribution that audit service providers made as entities prepared to adopt NZ IFRS; and
• the overall degree of satisfaction with the service received from audit service providers.