This chart shows the relative size (based on their 2010 budgets) of the three categories into which central government agencies fall:

• the public service (departments and ministries subject to the Public Service Act)
• other state services (district health boards, school boards of trustees, the police and the defence force, among other agencies)
• the state sector (state-owned enterprises, officers of Parliament and tertiary education institutions).

The first two categories – the public service and other state services – are collectively known as the state services. The ‘other state services’ category is the largest in terms of numbers of agencies, staff and budgets. Crown entities are split between the state sector and other state services categories.