Latest from the Policy Commons
NZ’s ugly inequities laid bare
Being in lockdown revealed, worsened or even created inequities that we now must address, writes Dr Karen V. Fernandez And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and...
SUSTAINING AND INVESTING IN LOCALLY-LED WELLBEING EFFORTS: GOING BEYOND SERVICES
Angie Tangaere & Penny Hagen This blog is the second in a series of reflections and projections from the Lab and the teams that we work with about equity, systems health and systems change in the context of COVID-19. Originally published by The Auckland...
Burning with rage – America’s been here before
By Jennifer Frost - Systemic white violence against black Americans is alive and well, and it's white violence that sustains white supremacy Current scenes from the United States are both familiar and shocking. George Floyd’s life being brutally snuffed out by...
In our welfare system, it’s ‘us or them’
Dr Louise Humpage was hoping Covid would help Kiwis better understand how tough it is to live off the benefit, but the newly unemployed are not being treated like main beneficiaries at all Foolishly, I had thought one serendipitous outcome of the Covid-19 crisis...
Don’t drop the ball on this one Jacinda
Anomalies in the policy for superannuitants with overseas pensions are an indictment on the justice process in New Zealand, write Susan St John and Dr Claire Dale Along with many others, the Retirement Policy and Research Centre has worked assiduously for more...
We’ll need that red tape if we want to beat Covid
By Gehan Gunasekara - Kiwis have a natural aversion to following strict rules day in, day out, but when it comes to Covid, we need those rules Clearly, the Kiwi attitude of 'she’ll be right', individualism and aversion to following strict bureaucratic requirements...
High trade hopes between old allies
The NZ-UK trade talks that launched recently offer renewed hope and optimism for an agreement that benefits these historical allies, writes Dr Asha Sundaram The UK’s entry into the European Economic Community, the precursor to the European Union (EU) in 1973...
Health system changes no small task
By Associate Professor Tim Tenbensel - Implementing recommendations from a major review of the health and disability system will require the Government to bring its A Game, writes Dr Tim Tenbensel The long-awaited Final Report of the Health and Disability Sector...
A crisis of public spaces
Diane Brand asks what the post-pandemic city will look like and how do we adjust our concept of urbanism to accommodate it? *Originally published in Newsroom. Republished with permission Public spaces where people are able congregate, streets, squares, parks and...
NZ-Pacific bubble should come first
Dr Collin Tukuitonga Dr Collin Tukuitonga is the inaugural Associate Dean Pacific at the University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. *Originally published in Newsroom. Republished with permission. Quarantine-free travel between NZ and Pacific...
What the Budget means for women
The Budget's investment in physical infrastructure is necessary for economic recovery, but it must be recognised that the number of women in those jobs is much lower than in social infrastructure like heath services and education. The Government should consider...
Watch: Gender Impact Analysis Policy Forum: Women workers and COVID-19 in Aotearoa
This is the first of a number of Gender Impact Analysis Policy Forums we are hosting over the coming six months. Subscribe for updates. Speakers: • Saunoamaali’i Kararina Sumeo (Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner, Human Rights Commission) • Traci Houpapa...
Gender Impact Analysis Policy Forum: Women workers and COVID-19 in Aotearoa
This is the first of a number of Gender Impact Analysis Policy Forums we are hosting over the coming six months. Register here for the event About this Event Speakers: • Saunoamaali’i Kararina Sumeo (Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner, Human Rights...
Public Lecture Online: Bigging up society? Politics, policy and evidence in the British voluntary sector
Professor John Mohan Director of the Third Sector Research Centre Professor of Social Policy University of Birmingham Seelye Visiting Fellow https://youtu.be/zNBMapZYHkg Advocates of the third sector and voluntary action make extensive claims about the distinctive...
Simple data visualisations have become key to communicating about the COVID-19 pandemic, but we know little about their impact
If you had mentioned ‘flattening the curve’ in 2019, chances are you would have been met with a blank stare. However, almost halfway through 2020, the language of data visualisation has become commonplace, and data visualisations are widely used to communicate...
The relevance of te Tiriti o Waitangi in the Covid-19 era
By Dr Claire Charters - Where does our rock, New Zealand’s constitutional foundation, te Tiriti o Waitangi, fit in all the emergency powers, regulations and obligations on the Government in this time of pandemic? The Covid-19 era is like a fast-moving picture...
Covid-19: Vital that tikanga adapts again
By Charlotte Muru-Lanning - The voice of kaumātua is key to Māori wellbeing beyond the Covid-19 crisis - and a new study seeks their understanding and advice on how tikanga might have to change. As we near the end of the fourth week of a nationwide lockdown in...
Conflict, climate and contagion: refugees suffer
By Jay Marlowe - As the world, and New Zealand, shuts its borders, the millions of refugees globally are forgotten in high density camps. Jay Marlowe argues we can't only look inward in fighting Covid-19. The “cautious optimism,” expressed recently by Prime...
Women, social media and political participation in New Zealand
By Sarah Hendrica Bickerton - This blog post outlines the key findings of my PhD research, which is located in the context of contemporary constructions of political participation, with a particular aspect looking at how this manifests online. Below I will outline...
One thing we can’t afford to lose
By John Mohan - As the ripple effects of Covid-19 continue to put livelihoods on the line and a recession seems inevitable, the fate of organisations that largely survive on donations and volunteers is precarious. Current severe restrictions on movement mean the...
