Apropos of nothing – except for the current vibe coming out of Wellington. Let’s be frank about what went wrong with the Knowledge Wave circa 2001 and 2003. I remember sitting in those early conferences – all optimism and powerpoints about our gleaming tech future. But in reality, we were trying to bolt a Silicon…

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…

When we examine Aotearoa New Zealand, through the lens of its institutions, we see a remarkable pattern of action and response between the Crown and Māori that continues to shape our nation. This narrative begins in 1840, but its echoes resonate powerfully in today’s political landscape. In the initial Te Tiriti period (1840-1860), the Crown…

The Royal Commission’s Report on Abuse in Care has landed on my desk, and its findings are devastating. As someone who has spent decades studying public policy and governance, I can tell you this: what we’re looking at isn’t just a collection of unfortunate incidents – it’s administrative evil in its purest form. Let me…

Looking at Te Tiriti through a political science lens offers us something valuable beyond the usual historical and legal interpretations. Let me be direct about what this means for our public management system. Te Tiriti isn’t just a historical document or legal framework – it’s a living diplomatic relationship between two sovereign nations. This isn’t…

I wrote an opinion piece for e-tangata. It is based on a series of pre-and-post election briefings I provided a small number of clients. This particular opinion piece summarises my views on the coalition agreements, and the likely implementation risks the government will need to be actively managing if they are to have any sort…

One way to see proposals to change the design of the public sector is through a lens that presents the state as fragmented whenua on which political struggles play out. In the same way, whenua reflects the battle between settler and hapū interests, agendas, claims and rights, so it is for the state. Through that…

This election, I’m looking for a politician who understands that the sun is setting on New Zealand and the dawn of the new day that is Aotearoa. That is not as radical as it sounds. It is simply a maturing and growing up of our nation. But we need a politician or group of politicians…

Apropos of nothing – let me unpack this critical issue of ministerial-executive relationships and institutional performance through a public policy lens. The gap in our system isn’t just about policy or delivery – it’s about the fundamental preparation of ministers for what is essentially a governance role over complex public institutions. We’ve created sophisticated frameworks…

Speaking as a public policy expert, here’s my analysis of the current political landscape. I have offered this advice to several clients. They are happy for me to offer it here – to you. The recent political rhetoric around cutting public services deserves careful examination. Not because of the predictable election-time theatrics but because it…

As a political scientist and policy consultant observing Aotearoa New Zealand’s evolving landscape, I want to expand on this crucial concept of the interregnum we are in. Gramsci’s observation about the space between what’s dying and what’s struggling to be born perfectly captures our current national moment. This isn’t just about political transition but fundamentally…

Public institutions tend to reflect the society in which they are embedded. So it is for Aotearoa. Like it or not, in Aotearoa, our shared institutions reflect and will increasingly reflect Te Tiriti. Te Tiriti states the conditions under which Iwi, Hapū, Whānau, Whanui, Māori and the Crown agreed to cooperate in the development of…

I have been watching the co-governance and free speech debate. There seems to be an undercurrent that the state should focus on “equality” and not “equity”, and all public services – delivered by the state or by a third party – should be at the same or similar quality standard for every “New Zealander”. That…

Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll, Sarah Lovell, Lindsey Te Ata o Tu MacDonald, Kaaren Mathias and I offer some thoughts on the health reforms. Lancet Regional Health published them in August of this year. We write about how significant the changes are and the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the basis of the reforms. We think…

Monash University asked me to join a panel on decolonising public policy and public administration pedagogy. Here’s a transcript of he whakaarotia. Tihei mauri ora E ngā mana whenua, tēnā tatau E rangatira ko Deidre tēnā koe E aku whānau e huihui nei i te rā, tēnā koutou katoa Whakarongo ake ki te tangi a…

I wrote to the Select Committee reviewing the Public Service Legislation Bill.

IPANZ asked me to write an article for Public Sector asking whether the new public service legislation will truly allow the exercise of rangatiratanga. My answer: probably not.