A plea from Ōtautahi. Can we stop using the phrase “bad apples” when discussing institutional problems? It is a tired cliché that has outlived whatever usefulness it might have once had. The idiom “one bad apple spoils the whole barrel” initially warned about how quickly rot spreads. Yet in contemporary discussions about institutional accountability, we’ve…

Before I begin, I want to mihi to Hon Shane Jones. In the House yesterday, he reminded us of the first four rangatira who first stepped into Parliament on behalf of Māori. He did more than recite names: he called us to remember them properly, to see them as political actors who helped shape the…

Representative bureaucracy is not a fashionable add-on to modern administration. It is a core democratic principle. First articulated by J. Donald Kingsley in 1944 and later developed by scholars such as Mosher, Selden, Meier, and O’Toole, the theory argues that public institutions work better and hold greater legitimacy when they reflect the diversity of the…

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…

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…

If you’ve been following this blog, or I have taught you, you’ll know I’m generally sceptical about the government’s capacity to deliver meaningful change. Only because, in my view, meaningful change is delivered by and because of communities. But occasionally, I see institutions that genuinely shift the dial. Te Puni Kōkiri is one such case…

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’m not posting much. I am writing. But the graphic below has my attention. Let me share some thoughts I’ve been developing, building on Heather Came’s recent work (2024) above. I’m mainly focused on how this applies to public management education and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Three critical issues keep surfacing in my analysis….

If you want to understand whether a government is truly committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, look closely at how it values, funds, and heeds Te Puni Kōkiri – the Ministry of Māori Development. Te Puni Kōkiri holds one of the most complex and constitutionally significant roles in the entire New Zealand public service. Its…

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…

Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi: Public Service Association asked me to write a pre-election article for their online journal. The link to the article is here: https://www.psa.org.nz/our-voice/one-of-our-greatest-assets/ Please consider joining the union that represents and protects the rights of over 80,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups. They…

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…

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…

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…

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…

To understand the significance of free and frank advice in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is necessary to begin with its constitutional character, not its administrative form. Guidance and expectations about policy advice are often described in managerial or procedural terms as a matter of professional standards, statutory duties, or policy techniques. Yet such descriptions flatten…

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…

Mātai Tōrangapū, Hononga Tāwāhi | School of Political Science and International Relations asked me to lecture on the evolution of Aotearoa’s public management model. Here’s the latest update. Feel free to download and make it your own.

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…

Unlike the original Westminister tradition, the Chinese Imperial Civil Service had a set of dress codes for officials: a way, so to speak, to distinguish the different classes and ranks within each class. Each rank had its own belts, hats and trim. The top rank had two stately cranes soaring above clouds, and the lowest…

Business Desk asked me to comment about trust in the public service.

I wrote in support of the conversion practices prohibition legislation.

I wrote in support of the Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies Bill.

Last week, the Public Services Association published a paper by me and my friend Dr Amohia Boulton. We were part of the PSA’s 2020 Progressive Thinking Seminars. In our paper, Amohia and I talk about how COVID-19 has reminded us of how underprepared the world is to detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases while…

Amohia Boulton and I wrote about how COVID-19 exposed how underprepared Aotearoa – and the world – was in detecting and responding to emerging infectious diseases while simultaneously revealing how well-placed and effective institutions in Te Ao Māori are in being able to react decisively and positively on behalf of Iwi, Hapū, Whānau and Māori.

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.