We are a non-partisan think tank applying hindsight, insight and foresight to explore major challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand over the long term.
We are committed to positively influencing public policy by empowering
New Zealanders to have the uncomfortable, but necessary, conversations
that are required to enable New Zealand to realise its potential.
Celebrating 20 years of exploring the future
As we celebrate 20 years since the Institute began, we would like to highlight a selection of our most pivotal works and publications. Some of these have directed the Institute’s focus, some have resulted in policy changes and others have had significant public impacts. The world has changed significantly over the past twenty years, but the need for quality non-partisan research and policy analysis remains.
Join us to take a walk down memory lane and revisit some of the team’s favourite pieces of work below. Thank you for your support over the years.
COVID-19 Nation Dates: A New Zealand timeline of significant events during the COVID-19 pandemic (second edition) |
September 2024 Purchase from our online store |
Foresight tools |
August 2023 Purchase from our online store |
Government Department Strategies Index Handbook – He Puna Rautaki |
June 2022 Download from Books, journals and other publications |
Discussion Paper 2019/01 – The Climate Reporting Emergency: A New Zealand case study |
October 2019 Download from Discussion Papers |
The future of scientific thought |
July 2015 Download from Articles |
TacklingPovertyNZ: Exploring ways to reduce poverty in New Zealand |
February 2016 Download from Workshop booklets |
Project 2058 – Report 11: A History of Future-thinking Initiatives in New Zealand, 1936–2010 |
March 2011 Download from Project 2048 reports |
Sir Paul Callaghan – StrategyNZ: Mapping our future |
March 2011 Watch the full speech |
Creating Intelligent Countries through Forward Engagement |
November/December 2010 Download from Articles |
special topic
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
Addendum to Discussion Paper 2024/01
This addendum explains what is new in terms of the recently published (10 October 2024) Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the Year Ended 30 June 2024 (the 2024 Financial Statements) and other recent developments, including a discussion with Minister Watts at the Climate Change and Business conference.
It builds on our June 2024 Discussion Paper 2024/01 – Risks hiding in plain sight: Does a commitment under the Paris Agreement to purchase offshore carbon credits create a requirement to report that commitment in the financial statements of the New Zealand Government?
October 2024
Link to download
Discussion Paper 2024/01 – Risks hiding in plain sight
This is a technical accounting paper that explores whether a commitment by the New Zealand Government to purchase offshore carbon credits to offset emissions should be reported in the financial statements of the New Zealand Government (the overarching accounting problem). It applies current accounting standards to the issue and concludes that a commitment should be recognised as a liability and/or contingent liability in the financial statements of the Government of New Zealand.
June 2024
Updated 23 October 2024, in accordance with the Institute’s Addendum to Discussion Paper 2024/01. This resulted in an additional note being added to Figure 5.1 – The Government’s financial reporting system (see asterisk [*] on p. 35).
Link to download
See the press release.
Video: Minister Watts, 10 September 2024
Minister Watts discussing New Zealand’s decision to purchase offshore carbon credits to meet the NDC commitments under the Paris Agreement.
10 September 2024
Climate Change and Business Conference, Auckland
latest blogs
How can we do better next time? The Government’s COVID-19 response under the microscope
As we undertook this research into the COVID-19 pandemic, we started to identify key trends, threads and lessons that stood out. A non-partisan approach is essential for this kind of analysis, investigating what happened, how New Zealand responded and how outcomes could be improved. By taking a step back and observing New Zealand’s COVID-19 response as a whole, we came away with a number of important reflections for the next pandemic.
Learning from the UK Defence Force think tank
The UK Ministry of Defence’s think tank is called the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC). Wendy McGuinness met with the team at DCDC twice in 2023, once in Wellington (New Zealand) and once in Oxfordshire (UK).
How to communicate in a complex world, with Janine Gould
On Thursday 30 November 2023, the Institute welcomed communication expert Janine Gould to share some of her wisdom. Janine has over 30 years of experience in verbal communication skills coaching as Founding Director of Communicate Consultants.
