These are my evolving thoughts, rhetorical positions and creative provocations. They are not settled conclusions. Content should not be taken as professional advice, official statements or final positions. I reserve the right to learn, unlearn, rethink and grow. If you’re here to sort me neatly into left vs right, keep moving. I’m not the partisan...
Kia ora, and welcome I’m starting a blog. I’m as surprised as you are. This is a place to jot down my evolving thoughts about public administration, policy, and delivery in Aotearoa: beneath the surface and between the relays of elected and unelected officials. It will be about the undercurrents. Not the tired critiques or...
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the regulatory standards bill. As someone involved in regulatory systems and policy, I want to talk about their design and likely impact. Let me be direct: these proposals lack any supporting evidence that they would improve our regulatory environment. Instead, they demonstrate a troubling pattern of overreach....
“Release it,” says the Minister, pushing the report back across his desk. “All of it.” The Chief Executive stares at the thick document – six months of analysis on prison reform. “Minister, our advice is clear. The proposed changes carry significant risks.” “Yes,” the Minister says, leaning back. “Your advice is clear, thorough, and I...
From my position by the door, I watch four Ministers from three parties circle the Cabinet committee room like wary cats. Housing from Labour, Finance from Labour, Infrastructure from NZ First, and Local Government from the Greens – each armed with different advice about the urban development legislation and housing. “My officials are clear,” the...
My name is Deb Te Kawa. I oppose this Bill. As mokopuna of Paora Haenga and a seasoned public policy practitioner teaching at Canterbury University, I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill with personal conviction rooted in my whakapapa and professional judgment informed by decades of expertise. My tūpuna understood the Crown’s role needed clear definition...
Opinion: He Poneketanga : Red Tape? More scissors, less string
6/12/2024
Welcome again to He Pōneketanga. My monthly column, where I offer an insider/outsider’s view of how governments work. After years in the public service trenches and advising the private and charity sectors in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, I’ve seen how policies play out when they hit the real world. The mounting cost of regulatory...
Between Silence and Spin: The Real Work of Free and Frank Advice
2/12/2024
Everyone talks about free and frank advice like we all know what it means. We don’t. And that’s a problem. Richard Mulgan’s 2007 article, Truth in Government and the Politicization of Public Service Advice, is still one of the best efforts to name what happens when advice is manipulated to serve political ends. He takes us...
From my usual seat at the far end of the table in the Minister’s office, I watch another tense briefing unfold about Māori unemployment statistics. Being a Private Secretary means I see these moments play out daily, but this one feels different. “Show me what’s really happening,” the Minister demands, drumming fingers on the latest...
“This is censorship,” the Principal Advisor declares, waving his draft journal article. “I have two PhDs and twenty years of expertise. The public needs to hear my critique of the government’s trade policy. What happened to free speech in this country?” The Chief Executive suppresses a sigh. The Principal Advisor works for me. This is...
Disclaimer
1/1/2024
These are my evolving thoughts, rhetorical positions and creative provocations. They are not settled conclusions. Content should not be taken as professional advice, official statements or final positions. I reserve the right to learn, unlearn, rethink and grow. If you’re here to sort me neatly into left vs right, keep moving. I’m not the partisan...
View articleAhakoa he iti kete, he iti nā te aroha
31/7/2017
Kia ora, and welcome I’m starting a blog. I’m as surprised as you are. This is a place to jot down my evolving thoughts about public administration, policy, and delivery in Aotearoa: beneath the surface and between the relays of elected and unelected officials. It will be about the undercurrents. Not the tired critiques or...
View articleComment: Regulatory Standards Bill
13/1/2025
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the regulatory standards bill. As someone involved in regulatory systems and policy, I want to talk about their design and likely impact. Let me be direct: these proposals lack any supporting evidence that they would improve our regulatory environment. Instead, they demonstrate a troubling pattern of overreach....
View article“Release the Lot!”
27/12/2024
“Release it,” says the Minister, pushing the report back across his desk. “All of it.” The Chief Executive stares at the thick document – six months of analysis on prison reform. “Minister, our advice is clear. The proposed changes carry significant risks.” “Yes,” the Minister says, leaning back. “Your advice is clear, thorough, and I...
View articleThe Whiteboard Circuit Breaker
20/12/2024
From my position by the door, I watch four Ministers from three parties circle the Cabinet committee room like wary cats. Housing from Labour, Finance from Labour, Infrastructure from NZ First, and Local Government from the Greens – each armed with different advice about the urban development legislation and housing. “My officials are clear,” the...
View articleSubmission: Treaty Principles Bill
13/12/2024
My name is Deb Te Kawa. I oppose this Bill. As mokopuna of Paora Haenga and a seasoned public policy practitioner teaching at Canterbury University, I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill with personal conviction rooted in my whakapapa and professional judgment informed by decades of expertise. My tūpuna understood the Crown’s role needed clear definition...
View articleOpinion: He Poneketanga : Red Tape? More scissors, less string
6/12/2024
Welcome again to He Pōneketanga. My monthly column, where I offer an insider/outsider’s view of how governments work. After years in the public service trenches and advising the private and charity sectors in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, I’ve seen how policies play out when they hit the real world. The mounting cost of regulatory...
View articleBetween Silence and Spin: The Real Work of Free and Frank Advice
2/12/2024
Everyone talks about free and frank advice like we all know what it means. We don’t. And that’s a problem. Richard Mulgan’s 2007 article, Truth in Government and the Politicization of Public Service Advice, is still one of the best efforts to name what happens when advice is manipulated to serve political ends. He takes us...
View articleBetter by Rejection
8/11/2024
From my usual seat at the far end of the table in the Minister’s office, I watch another tense briefing unfold about Māori unemployment statistics. Being a Private Secretary means I see these moments play out daily, but this one feels different. “Show me what’s really happening,” the Minister demands, drumming fingers on the latest...
View articleDoctor Doctor, It’s Not That Kind of Truth
1/11/2024
“This is censorship,” the Principal Advisor declares, waving his draft journal article. “I have two PhDs and twenty years of expertise. The public needs to hear my critique of the government’s trade policy. What happened to free speech in this country?” The Chief Executive suppresses a sigh. The Principal Advisor works for me. This is...
View article