Beyond Westminster? 2022 Edition Hineraumati

15/12/2022

As we enter the third year of examining our governance model’s evolution, the central hypothesis remains: Aotearoa-New Zealand’s Westminster-derived system continues to show significant signs of strain. While most indicators remain consistent with last year’s assessment, two notable shifts warrant attention.

First, there’s a marked decline in the Cabinet’s narrative capability. Despite considerable activity and policy implementation, the government appears unable to articulate a coherent story about its achievements or direction. This communication vacuum is compounded by visible ministerial fatigue, suggesting deeper systemic issues beyond mere messaging challenges.

In parallel, we’re witnessing the emergence of a more credible opposition. The Leader of the Opposition and deputy have successfully crafted a focused narrative centred on three key themes: cost of living pressures, economic development, and public service delivery failures. Their message discipline and energy starkly contrast the incumbent government’s communication struggles and appear to be gaining public traction.

The public service assessment remains orange, with persistent concerns about institutional capacity and effectiveness. The continued outsourcing of core policy work to consultancies suggests an ongoing hollowing out of internal capability. Equally troubling is the failure of officials to effectively manage community engagement and expectations in policy development processes. A new and significant criticism has emerged from the infrastructure sector, whose leaders argue that the machinery of government (te poneketanga) lacks the structural capacity to enable their success.

These developments suggest we’re not merely witnessing temporary strains on our Westminster model but potentially observing its fundamental transformation. The question is increasingly not whether we’re moving beyond Westminster but what we’re moving toward.

Nau mai haere mai Hine Raumati. He iti tangata e tupu – he iti toki e iti tonu.

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