This document discusses approaches to public participation and co-creation between government and citizens. It outlines different levels of participation from information sharing to consultation to co-creation. New technologies have expanded opportunities for participation from basic websites and forms to social media, crowdsourcing and collaborative platforms. The document advocates starting public engagement at the beginning of the design process and involving citizens in co-creating services and policies. It provides examples of initiatives from New Zealand and other countries. Building trust, transparency, asking the right questions and demonstrating results are identified as important factors for successful public participation.