Blog
Prime Minister’s Summer Reading List 2020/2021
Every year we select books that we believe the Prime Minister (and others interested in public policy) would benefit from reading over the summer break. As we apply a non-partisan approach to our work, we also provide copies of the selected books to each of the...
18 Months in Review – What we’ve been up to
1. Our 2020 work programme Our 2020 work programme, like many, was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The image at right illustrates an outline of the 2020 work programme. It is not an exact representation of all the work completed this year; however, it does provide...
4th Edition of Nation Dates now launched
‘Interconnected impacts from these chains of events, people, communities and dates – in this summation – ripple outwardly, appearing unrelated and yet related once revealed, once collated: a recorded intergenerational summation.’ – Trevor Moeke, Horouta, Mātaatua,...
Insights from ‘Leadership and Character in Uncertain Times’ (Harvard Kennedy School course)
Over five weeks I took part in ‘Leadership and Character in Uncertain Times’, a Harvard Kennedy School executive course. The course was all online and took place in the middle of the night (on Eastern Standard Time) with live seminars twice a week, group work once a...
Obtaining a comprehensive list of coalition agreements and support agreements since 1996
The Institute has been conducting research into political party agreements since MMP. Our interest is in those agreements mentioned in the 'Speech from the Throne', being the speech the Governor-General makes at the start of the parliamentary term. Political parties...
Report 17 Launched: Building a Reporting Framework Fit for Purpose
Report 17 – ReportingNZ: Building a Reporting Framework Fit for Purpose is a major publication from policy Project ReportingNZ, which aims to contribute to a discussion on how to build an informed Aotearoa New Zealand. The report reviews New Zealand’s external...
A Near Horizon – Seizing the opportunities and managing the risks in the transition to net zero
To manage Aotearoa New Zealand’s transition to a low-carbon future, every professional financial decision must take climate change into account. How do we manage this transition? How essential is disclosure in achieving this? On 28 May 2020, Simpson Grierson, Climate...
Prime Minister’s Summer Reading List 2019/2020
Choosing books for a friend or an acquaintance is a real treat; it gives you an opportunity to think about that person's character, what they mean to you and what they might enjoy learning about. The Prime Minister's Summer Reading List is personal, but it is also...
The Family So’otaga – Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Award winner
Holy Family School, located in Porirua, Wellington won the ‘Excellence in Engaging’ category of this year’s Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards for the The Family So’otaga programme. The McGuinness Institute congratulates them on this win – we are very proud...
Revisiting Tomorrow: Navigating with Foresight
Revisiting Tomorrow: Navigating with Foresight was a public event hosted by the McGuinness Institute at the National Library of New Zealand on 30 October 2019. The former prime minister Rt Hon Jim Bolger was joined by former members of the Commission for the Future...
TCFD Workshops: Practical steps for implementation
On Wednesday 16 October and Thursday 17 October, the Institute partnered with Simpson Grierson to host two workshops exploring the Recommendations of the TCFD in Auckland and Wellington. The Institute was grateful for the expertise of Michael Zimonyi from the Climate...
Asia Pacific Foresight Group and Data61+ LIVE conference – Sydney, Australia
I was invited to be part of the Asia Pacific Foresight Group (APFG), a small group of strategic foresight practitioners working in NGOs, governments, and different industries across 32 countries in the Asia Pacific region. The inaugural meeting was held in Sydney from...
Climate reporting insights from the UK
As part of the Institute’s ongoing work on how to build an informed New Zealand through Project ReportingNZ, I sat down with a number of organisations from the financial reporting sphere during my recent trip to London. The purpose of the meetings was for me to gather...
Select Committee: Climate change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill
On 30 August 2019, the Institute had the opportunity to present our submission on the Climate change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill in front of the Select Committee at Parliament. The Select Committee consisted of MPs Angie Warren-Clark (Labour Party), Jenny...
KiMuaNZ: Exploring climate futures workshop – day 3 and finale presentation at Government House
Day three of the workshop started back at the McGuinness Institute. The participants got into their groups and reflected on what they learnt over the past two days. Each participant thought about the key insights that resonated with them, and envisioned how they...
KiMuaNZ: Exploring climate futures workshop – day 2
Day two of the KiMuaNZ: Exploring climate futures was held at the New Zealand Treasury. The day started at Treasury's wharenui, and included a welcome from Tu Sciascia – Māori Capability Advisor at Treasury, Bryan Chapple – Director Secretary at Treasury, and Hon...
KiMuaNZ: Exploring climate futures workshop now underway
The KiMuaNZ: Exploring climate futures workshop began with participants being welcomed by Wendy McGuinness and Dr Richard Lum; author of 4 Steps to the Future and facilitator of the first day of the workshop. The 40 participants gathered at the Institute before...
A Point of Vanishing Stability discussion event
On 30 May 2019 the Institute held a public event titled ‘A Point of Vanishing Stability’ at the National Library of New Zealand. Our intention was to explore how New Zealand can respond to the complex challenges posed by climate change. We brought together a variety...
Speaking with two Pacific Island leaders about climate change action – Hon. Henry Puna and Hon. Fiame Mata’afa
At the Just Transition Summit on 9 and 10 May, the McGuinness Institute team were fortunate enough to be able to speak with Hon. Henry Puna – Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, and Hon. Fiame Mata’afa – Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa. Henry and Fiame shared with us...
Just Transition Summit 2019
On 9 and 10 May 2019 the Institute attended the Just Transition National Summit held in Taranaki. The Summit facilitated an economy-wide opportunity to share perspectives and discuss what defining a just transition to a low emissions future looks like in New Zealand....
2018 GDS Index – Now launched!
The McGuinness Institute launched the 2018 GDS Index on Thursday 2 May 2019 at a lunchtime presentation attended by around 40 MPs, government department officials, and other interested parties. Wendy McGuinness discussed why government department strategies (GDSs) are...
A 40 year journal now published – ‘Āpōpō Journal’
To welcome in the New Year, the McGuinness Institute is pleased to announce the publication of Āpōpō Journal: Navigating the future with foresight (Mā te matapae te wāheke e whakatere). Completed at the end of 2018, we combined forces with the creative talent of...
Prime Minister’s Summer Reading List 2018/2019
As 2018 comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the last 12 months and consider what the next 12 months might bring. Selecting the Prime Minister’s summer reading list is a chance to think about what skills and capabilities might be required to make the most of the...
10 things I wish my friends knew about going to the UN
The McGuinness Institute was pleased to be able to sponsor 2017 WakaNZ workshop participant Trinity Thompson-Browne for her trip to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). Trinity attended the seventeenth session of the forum in...
Mātauranga continues to resonate throughout Aotearoa
We are pleased to note that Mātauranga, produced as a koha for participants, speakers and special guests of the 2017 WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop, has become a very successful output of the workshop. It has been picked up by a range of communities across...
Integrated Reporting panel discussion at CPA Congress 2018
On 17 October 2018 a panel session on Integrated reporting: Understanding the different methodologies was held in Auckland as part of the CPA Congress 2018. The session was chaired by Mark Hucklesby (National Technical Director, Audit at Grant Thornton) and the other...
Report 17 – ReportingNZ: Building a Reporting Framework Fit for Purpose is now available for public feedback
The Institute has completed a major piece of work on New Zealand’s reporting framework – the country’s information infrastructure. The report is now in draft and out for public consultation; it is available to read here and we would appreciate all feedback by 5 pm on...
The landscape of climate change research in New Zealand – lunchtime discussion
Throughout the McGuinness Institute’s research for Report 17, we found that New Zealand’s climate change reporting is acutely lacking; there is no specific requirement for companies, government departments, and councils to report on their climate impact, and,...
Working Paper 2018/03 – Analysis of Climate Change Reporting in the Public and Private Sectors now published, demonstrating low levels of climate change reporting
New McGuinness Institute research demonstrates the low standard of climate change reporting by New Zealand’s major organisations. Working Paper 2018/03 – Analysis of Climate Change Reporting in the Public and Private Sectors, published here, found that information,...
London School of Economics course: Global Macroeconomic Issues
I attended the Global Macroeconomics Issues course at the London School of Economics from 11 to 15 June 2018. The teaching faculty included Gianluca Benigno (Associate Professor), Paul De Grauwe (Professor), Lorenzo Codogno (Professor), Linda Yueh (Adjunct Professor)...
London School of Economics course: Behavioural Economics and the Modern Economy
I attended the Behavioural Economics and the Modern Economy course at the London School of Economics (LSE) from 11 to 15 June 2018. The teaching faculty included Matthew Levy (Assistant Professor), Nava Ashraf (Professor), Erik Eyster (Professor) and Dr Kristof...
Visit from University of Canterbury Masters students
On Tuesday 26 June, 15 Masters in policy and governance students from the University of Canterbury visited the Institute to talk to Wendy about her work in politics, governance and policy. The students were curious and engaged and had prepared a list of questions for...
CEO Research Trip Insights Discussion Evening
Wendy McGuinness explored the insights from her overseas research trip at a discussion evening at the McGuinness Institute on 26 June 2018. In her presentation she shared her two most significant takeaways: That Europe is in the middle of a 'slow crisis of...
OECD Forum 2018: Distilling the message from the noise
About the OECD Forum, 29 to 30 May 2018 Over two days 3000 attendees came together in Paris to hear some of the 80+ sessions and explore ‘What brings us together?’. Discussions were loosely structured around three central and connected themes: inclusive growth,...
McGuinness Institute Newsletter Issue 19 out now!
This newsletter shares our updated work programme, giving you a summary of what we have been doing since our last newsletter in May 2017 and detailing what we hope to achieve before the end of the year. Our work programme this year is focused on the 10 year...
CivicsNZ think piece and working paper published
Think Piece 29 – Civics and Citizenship Education in New Zealand: A case for change? and Working Paper 2018/02 – Civics and Citizenship Education in New Zealand Schools: Current state have now been published as accompanying documents to the Policy Quarterly (vol 3,...
Think Piece 28 – Biological Corridors Throughout New Zealand now published
Wendy McGuinness has crystallised her vision for walking the length of New Zealand through conservation land with the newly published Think Piece 28 – Biological Corridors Throughout New Zealand. This think piece was the culmination of an idea Wendy has been fostering...
Institute presents ReportingNZ findings to the XRB
The McGuinness Institute presented the findings from the 2017 Extended External Reporting Surveys to the XRB (External Reporting Board) board members on 2 May 2018. The presentation focused largely on the importance of transparent reporting on climate change issues in...
WakaNZ workshop booklet is now published
We are pleased to announce the publication of the WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop booklet. The workshop booklet contains the findings and observations of participants from the WakaNZ workshop held in November 2017. The Institute, in collaboration with the...
Ministry of Social Development StrategyNZ workshop
On Monday afternoon the McGuinness Institute ran a two hour workshop on devising 'good' strategy documents for a group of Ministry of Social Development (MSD) employees working in the performance and strategy team. Members of the team were interested in growing MSD’s...
Reaching New Frontiers in Trentham
Earlier this week Nicholas Shackleton and Isabella Smith (research analysts at the Institute) attended day two of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship’s New Frontiers event. Co-founded by Yoseph Ayele back in 2015, New Frontiers is a global summit that takes place in New...
CFO Summit: Interview with Jonathon Porritt
Earlier this month the 2018 CFO Summit celebrated the hard work of New Zealand's top Chief Financial Officers. Over the day a number of national and international speakers addressed 200 CFOs at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland to discuss the future of their role and the...
McGuinness Institute celebrates gift of Māori name
We have officially launched the Institute's new name with the publication of the WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop’s whakataukī book. The Institute was gifted a Māori name, Te Hononga Waka, by the participants of the workshop. WakaNZ participant Shaquille...
Think piece on The Family So’otaga, an innovative initiative at the Holy Family School
An event held at Holy Family School in Cannons Creek on Tuesday, 20th February highlighted The Family So'otaga initiative, which was designed to provide more equitable outcomes for Māori and Pasifika learners and their whānau. Holy Family School pupils come from...
Fruit from the Vine Launch
WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight 2017 workshop participant Trinity Thompson-Browne has launched media company Fruit from the Vine, which aims to provide positive representations of young Māori. The launch event, hosted by Wellington City Council at the Wharewaka...
Prime Minister’s 2018 Summer Reading List
The books we have selected for the ‘Prime Minister's 2018 summer reading list' denotes the tools, ideas and/or skills we think the Prime Minister of New Zealand might find useful next year. Three high-level ideas shape the books we have selected: Idea 1: Aligning...
The WakaNZ workshop comes to an end but the voyage continues
The full programme of the WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop concluded with a free public presentation at Te Papa Tongarewa’s marae on Thursday, 23 November 2017 to over 100 people. After spending the morning at the Institute going over their final...
WakaNZ Workshop – Day 3
Wednesday's workshop schedule was left open-ended to accommodate the evolving needs of the participants in preparing for their presentation to the Governor-General. Participants also had an opportunity on this morning to visit the He Tohu exhibition at National...
WakaNZ Workshop – Day 2
Day 2 of the workshop action opened with a crash course in foresight skills. It was led by Dr Richard Lum, an academically trained futurist from Hawai'i and author of 4 Steps to the Future, complimentary copies of which were provided to each of the participants. The...
WakaNZ Workshop – Day 1
The first official day of the WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop opened with a haka pōwhiri into Ngā Mokopuna ā Tāne, the wharenui at the heart of the New Zealand Treasury. Participants were welcomed by a number of Treasury staff including the Secretary and...