Archives - 2002

Changing the Way New Zealand is Governed - Community Outcomes and Priorities
December 2002
There is growing recognition that the new accountability requirements in the Local Government Bill, especially the community outcomes and priorities process, has the potential to fundamentally shift the way New Zealand is governed. The Local Government Forum, no friend to local government, has identified this as one of the most significant constitutional changes in New Zealand for many years.

McKinlay Douglas is playing a prominent role in the debate about how these changes will affect local government. Peter McKinlay was a recent contributor to Local Government New Zealand’s Community Outcomes Workshop for elected members and senior management. The slides on which he based his presentation are available in our library.

Peter also gave a significant paper on the impact of this aspect of the reforms to the 5th Local Government Finance Forum held on 12-13 November 2002. That paper is also available in our library.

Prism and Economic Development
December 2002
Prism³ (the joint venture of MDL, the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research and the Institute of Public Policy at the Auckland University of Technology) is playing an increasingly prominent role in economic development. Two examples of what we are doing are a new diploma course for economic development professionals and a major workshop series for Auckland EDAs.

The Diploma in Economic Development will commence at the Auckland University of Technology in the 2003 academic year. It represents a major step forward in deepening the professional capability of people working on economic development, whether within EDAs, local or central government, or elsewhere. AUT will take the lead role in delivering the diploma, but with substantial input from MDL and NZIER.

During 2003, Prism³ will also be running a workshop series for Auckland EDAs designed to help them with a major evaluation and repositioning exercise, as economic development gains a higher profile and increased level of activity in Auckland, not just locally but also regionally and sub-regionally.

For more information on either of these initiatives contact Peter McKinlay.

Parliament and Accountability
November 2002
Peter McKinlay presented a paper on "Exploring Future Finance Trends in Central Government and Local Government" to the 5th Annual Local Government Finance Forum held on 12 & 13 November 2002. The paper is available in our library.  For more information contact Peter McKinlay.

Third Sector Conference
November 2002
Adrienne von Tunzelmann and Sue Duignan, General Manager Community Services, Hamilton City Council, presented a joint session at the Australia New Zealand Third Sector Conference held at Unitec in Auckland in November. The conference covered a very wide range of third sector issues presented by New Zealand and international speakers. In a paper titled “The Relationship and Interplay Between Local Authorities and the Community Sector in Economic Development”, Adrienne and Sue examined economic development as a ‘frontier’ for local government/community sector relationships in the context of (a) the current emphasis in central and local government on ‘working with our community’, (b) the focus in many economic development initiatives on business development and growth, and (c) the cross-over between community development and economic development. The slides from the presentation are available in our library.  For more information contact Adrienne von Tunzelmann.

Parliament and Accountability
October 2002
Important aspects of Parliament have been under the spotlight in recent times in three reviews that have highlighted areas of possible reform. Adrienne von Tunzelmann has played a key role in of these. The latest was a legislative requirement for three-yearly examinations of parliamentary appropriations – essentially an examination of the resourcing needs of Parliament. The first independent review was chaired by businessman Barry Dineen. The resulting report was tabled in Parliament on 14 October 2002 and is available on the Office of the Clerk's website. The review committee approached its task in the belief that resourcing issues should be addressed in the context of an effective, modern parliament. Among the changes reflected in the recommendations were the still-evolving impact of MMP, the ever-increasing importance of information in a modern Parliament and the growing diversity of community interest in the work of Parliament, balanced against the climate of ongoing fiscal constraint across all public sector spending. The report represented a benchmark in thinking about resourcing Parliament, focusing on the priorities for additional resourcing and establishing a clear rationale for these.

The review followed two earlier reviews. One of these, released publicly on 20 March 2002, dealt with MPs' salaries and allowances and proposed moves central to greater transparency in the system, including the taxation of MPs’ allowances. The report has been profiled in the public media with decisions taken by Parliament to retain control of MPs’ allowances. The other review, completed in February 1999, had a governance focus, examining the role of the Parliamentary Service Commission. Both reviews resulted in legislative change.

All three reviews have had accountability at their core. They are designed to have a significant practical, progressive impact on strengthening accountability in the parliamentary arena. They are also contributing to improving responsiveness to an MMP environment in terms of the allocation and management of funding for Parliament and MPs.  For more information, contact Adrienne von Tunzelmann.

Asset Management
April 2002
Peter McKinlay presented a paper “Examining the Possible Effects of the Local Government Review on Local Government Asset Management Practices” to the 5th Annual Local Government Asset Management Conference in April 2002. The paper (rated as the best at the conference) looked at the impact of the new local government legislation on asset management planning. The conclusion – major change is ahead.  The paper is available in our library. 

Broadening the Base of Policy Making
March 2002
Last October Adrienne von Tunzelmann, a Principal in MDL, presented a conference paper on the broadening the base of government policy-making so that it is inclusive of local government, the community and voluntary sector and Maori. The paper, “The Policy Players and Best Outcomes – Going it Alone or in Partnership” is available in our library.

The paper argues first that the quality of knowledge needed for social and economic advancement is unlikely to be held, and should not be held, in any one section of our society; and second that new ways of working are needed to generate the new thinking needed for innovative responses to major and complex policy issues. The March 2002 issue of Public Sector (NZ Institute of Public Administration, Vol 25, No 1) carries commentary on the Review of the Centre which gives Adrienne’s paper renewed relevance. The review highlights the importance of intersectoral coordination, and yet, in the view of one commentator, “deals with ‘the Centre’ as though it is not part of the wider ‘whole’ ”. Barbara MacLennan (pp 13,14) goes on to say “The ability of the public sector to priorities and resource the development and maintenance of constructive relationships with ‘the whole’ will determine the fate and the potential of the many contemporary government policy directions which attempt to harness regional and local resources, energy and responsibility”.

Given the now-recognised interconnection between delivery and policy, it seems timely to advance the idea of joint work in policy design as well as implementation across central and local government and involving a range of other organisations in the public, private and non-statutory sectors. As pointed out in a recent OECD Public Management Policy Brief, Engaging Citizens in Policy-making: Information, Consultation and Public Participation, “It allows government to tap into new sources of policy-relevant ideas, information and resources when making decisions.” Contact Adrienne von Tunzelmann if you have thoughts on the way these strands ought to come together.