Accounting for the government
The 1989 Public Finance Act adopted a new approach to the presentation of the government’s accounts. Its purpose was to enhance the government’s management of financial flows by combining them all into...
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The 2018 budget: Politics & economics
The first feature of the 2018 Budget is the allocation of $100 million to the America’s Cup. The politics of this are not hard to understand, but the myth of prioritising within an...
View ArticleA choice of master
Two decades ago New Zealand uncoupled the security and trade strands in its foreign policy. The decision stemmed from the removal of New Zealand’s preferential trade status with the UK in the early...
View ArticleOvercoming the pest plant threat
Biodiversity under threat from exotic plants Biodiversity is defined as the genetic diversity within species, the diversity among species and among ecosystems. Ecosystem diversity means much more than...
View ArticleThe Moriori myth and why it’s still with us
Firstly, the myth. You’ve heard it before. There were a pre-Māori people in New Zealand, called the Moriori. When Māori arrived in the country they set about obliterating these peaceful Moriori...
View ArticleFree speech and responsibilities
Every morning, on the way to work, I pass Speakers’ Corner, near the eastern entrance to Albert Park. It offers a public platform for people to speak freely. It also has a sign with a code of conduct:...
View ArticleGoogle, Facebook and New Zealand news media
New Zealand media argue that Facebook and Google have become too dominant in the New Zealand digital media market, harming the sustainability of newsrooms, and hindering the quality and diversity of...
View ArticleDoctoral theses in Māori: Advice for universities
Introduction – writing in te reo Māori at university Standard university policies in Aotearoa-New Zealand allow for any essay or dissertation to be submitted in te reo Māori as an official language,...
View ArticleNew narratives for discussing child poverty in New Zealand
There is great enthusiasm these days for using research and science to inform policy across the political spectrum. However, this has not always translated into how we talk about the solutions that are...
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The New Zealand Wars and the School Curriculum
The New Zealand Wars (1845-72) had a decisive influence over the course of the nation’s history. Yet Pākehā have not always cared to remember them in anything approaching a robust manner, engaging at...
View ArticleTe Pūtake o Te Riri
The ‘two-worlds’ analogy retains its stubborn hold. Two worlds mapped onto Niu Tireni, sharing space, differently placed. You say Raowmati, I say Raumati; You say Oohtackie, I say Ōtaki. Or as poet...
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The costs of choice in the New Zealand history curriculum
History is not just an account of past events, but an interpretation. Which historical events are taught in schools, and how they are presented, communicates an important message to pupils about...
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The Need to Diversify New Zealand’s War Narratives
On 11 November 2018, many thousands in countries all around the world stopped to commemorate the end of World War I. In New Zealand, as elsewhere, the date marked the end of a four-year long series of...
View ArticleFollow the Money: Archives New Zealand, the National Library and the...
At the height of the Watergate scandal, when the story had seemed to stall, Deep Throat told Bob Woodward that to understand what was going on he needed to “Follow the Money.” In similar vein, if we...
View ArticleTo enshrine and define local government once and for all
New Zealand has one of the most centralised political systems in the OECD. Functions and finance are concentrated in the highest level of the two-tier state system, central government, with local...
View ArticleStrengthening local voices
Local government is an essential part of New Zealand’s democracy, providing local infrastructure and leadership, facilitating economic and community development along with strategic and financial...
View ArticleAt last – A fundamental shift in social policy
The child wellbeing strategy represents the most significant shift in social policy in over four decades because of its focus on children as a population group and its emphasis on addressing structural...
View ArticleA day at Waitangi, and at the beach
The Prime Minister says she hopes every New Zealander, at least once in their lifetimes, gets a chance to go to Waitangi for Waitangi Day. Firstly, because it’s a special place to be, and secondly so...
View ArticleThe Future of Archives New Zealand and the National Library of New Zealand
The National Archival and Library Institutions Ministerial Group (NALI) is beginning to reveal some of its thinking about the future of Archives New Zealand and the National Library of New Zealand. In...
View ArticleLocal government role and autonomy
This paper is prompted by To enshrine and define local government once and for all, a Briefing Paper by Christine Rose, which presents a useful analysis of central-local government responsibilities....
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