Blog
McGuinness Institute oral submission on the Environmental Reporting Bill 2014
This morning Wendy McGuinness presented the McGuinness Institute’s submission on the Environmental Reporting Bill 2014 to the Local Government and Environment Committee. We also presented the Committee with three attachments to our submission: Attachment 1 shows a...
Join us for a discussion on ocean management – 27 May 2014
Discussion Topic: What research would best contribute to the dialogue on ocean management in the long term? Join us on Tuesday 27 May 2014. We are hosting a free event at the Institute offices on ocean management. Speakers include: James Palmer – Deputy Secretary,...
TalentNZ Newsletter Issue 2 out today!
In this issue we outline our TalentNZ work programme, discuss recent research and resources, and provide updates on upcoming events. If you would like to receive the regular TalentNZ newsletter please connect with TalentNZ. You can also subscribe to the more in-depth...
Green Apple’s 100% renewable energy plans extend to hydro power
Apple has turned a green leaf by committing to a goal of running all its facilities on 100% renewable energy. They are close to achieving this goal; having reached 75% of worldwide facilities to date. This is impressive considering the explosion of cloud based data...
Submission on the Environmental Reporting Bill
Our submission on the Environmental Reporting Bill is now available for download from our website. One of the key issues addressed in our submission was the overlapping boundaries of the environmental domains the bill defined. As our submission points out: Our concern...
New Zealand King Salmon decision provides a way forward
The Institute has been following the application by New Zealand King Salmon to farm nine sites in the Marlborough Sounds. The application forms part of our One Ocean project; in order to develop foresight over public policy it was critical to understand how the...
Predicted rise in new cancer cases worldwide
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a specialized agency of the United Nations World Health Organization has recently released the World Cancer Report. The report has predicted a rise in new cancer cases worldwide; to 22 million up from 14 million...
TalentNZ Tour: Wanaka Monday 31 March
The March tour of the TalentNZ project wound up on Monday 31 March in Wānaka. The public event was hosted by Shaping Our Future and Imagine Wānaka which both operate locally. The vision for Shaping Our Future revolves around: ‘Spectacular environments, enterprising...
TalentNZ Tour: Napier Wednesday 26 March
The TalentNZ Tour took on a marine theme in Napier on Thursday 26 March when Wendy McGuinness hosted the Napier public event at the National Aquarium of New Zealand. The Napier public event was sandwiched between Wendy’s presentations to Hastings District Council on...
TalentNZ Tour: Gisborne Tuesday 25 March
Wendy McGuinness and Dr Patrick Nolan, Principal Advisor to the Economics and Research team at the New Zealand Productivity Commission, visited Gisborne on Tuesday 25 March as part of the East Coast stretch of the TalentNZ Tour. The ideas of the TalentNZ project were...
TalentNZ: Christchurch Thursday 20 March
On Thursday the TalentNZ Tour arrived in Christchurch. Wendy McGuinness was joined by Tim Bennett and Roger Dennis at a meeting with Mayor Lianne Dalziel and councillors, including Vicki Buck and Raf Manji who we interviewed for the TalentNZ Journal. It was a...
TalentNZ: Kaikoura Wednesday 19 March
The whales might migrate to other waters for half of the year, but talent in Kaikoura doesn’t have to. Kaikoura was the middle stop in the TalentNZ Tour of the South Island. On 19 March Hayden Glass of Sapere Research joined Wendy in presenting the ideas to the...
TalentNZ: Dunedin Tuesday 18 March
The Southern chapter of the TalentNZ tour started in Dunedin on Tuesday 18 March. Tim Bennett, chief executive of NZX joined Wendy McGuinness to present Version 1 of the Menu of Initiatives Directory to Mayor Dave Cull and Councillors Doug Hall, Aaron Hawkins, Mike...
TalentNZ Tour: Auckland Thursday 13 March
Last Thursday the ICEHOUSE hosted Wendy McGuinness for the Auckland TalentNZ Tour public event. There was a great turn out including contributors from the TalentNZ Journal and increasing support for the TalentNZ Menu of Initiatives as Wendy extended the network to...
TalentNZ Tour: Tauranga Wednesday 12 March
The Institute completed the first leg of its TalentNZ Tour yesterday. The Northern Shore location of Tauranga was bright and breezy when Wendy McGuinness arrived mid-week accompanied by Janice Feutz of CORE Technology one of our 30 kiwis interviewed in the TalentNZ...
Book Review: Finding the next Steve Jobs
In Finding the Next Steve Jobs Nolan Bushnell concisely discusses how companies need to create the right image, culture, behaviours and flexibility to acquire and retain their most precious resource...
TalentNZ: Sharing Resources
With the TalentNZ initiative continuing into 2014, the Institute has been looking to share and grow our research and ideas with the wider public. We have recently created a resources page on the McGuinness Institute website which includes articles, books and...
Exhibition combining food, art and a constitutional preamble – closes 15 March, Wellington
Kieran Stowers, one of the EmpowerNZ participants and a designer at both the LongTermNZ and LivingStandardsNZ workshops, has done a simply amazing job combining design, food and a constitutional conversation. I went to the opening of the exhibition of the 2013 Masters...
TalentNZ Newsletter Issue 1
Hello and welcome to the first Issue of the TalentNZ Newsletter. I'd also like to introduce myself (Miranda Voke) as the new project admin and event organiser at the McGuinness Institute. If you would like any further information about the TalentNZ Tour happening this...
TalentNZ goes nationwide: Creating ‘a place where talent wants to live’ near you
Happy New Year. We hope you had a great holiday and are now ready to embrace 2014 as the year of 'talent'. Join us to discuss how we might together create a talent-based economy. The TalentNZ project builds on the thinking of Sir Paul Callaghan’s vision of making New...
Prime Minister’s 2014 Summer Reading List
Each Christmas we provide the Prime Minister with some great holiday reading, sending him a selection of books that we have found particularly insightful over the course of the year. Our selection this year includes: A Quarter Century in the Natural Sciences by Dr...
LivingStandardsNZ Workshop
AboutThe LivingStandardsNZ workshop was a collaboration between McGuinness Institute and the New Zealand treasury, which brought together 28 young people to stress test Treasury’s Living Standards Framework using three case studies. Participants attended...
Youth Living Standards Framework is Published
The LivingStandardsNZ participants' 2013 Youth Living Standards Framework and the YouTube video of the final presentation are now available! Twenty-eight young New Zealanders stress tested Treasury's living standards framework in early December 2013 and found the...
Q&A with John Fitzgerald
During our latest workshop LivingStandardsNZ, we were fortunate enough to have Dr John Fitzgerald from the Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin Ireland, join us for pizza and a Q&A. Dr Fitzgerald was able to provide a global perspective, talking about...
Living the good life: Defining ‘living standards’ working paper
While assisting with the LivingStandardsNZ Workshop, Diana Tam produced a working paper for the Institute, entitled Living the Good Life – Defining ‘living standards’, which is now available for download on the McGuinness Institute website. The working paper is...
TalentNZ: A look inside
The TalentNZ initiative has been underway for a month now and we are in the planning stages of a speaking tour for early next year. Our first major output is the journal TalentNZ: Creating a place where talent wants to live. The Journal comprises three major...
A bit of fun for a Friday night
We had a great week last week hosting 28 young New Zealanders, who came together to stress-test the Treasury’s Living Standard’s Framework. The Institute, in collaboration with the New Zealand Treasury, brought together 28 participants from all around New Zealand...
LivingStandardsNZ: Thought for the day
For each day of the LivingStandardsNZ workshop (3-5 December 2013) we are giving the participants a 'Thought for the Day'. These thoughts are from a range of sources and are designed to encourage the participants to think broadly about some of the issues they will be...
LivingStandardsNZ: Thought for the day
For each day of the LivingStandardsNZ workshop (3-5 December 2013) we are giving the participants a 'Thought for the Day'. These thoughts are from a range of sources and are designed to encourage the participants to think broadly about some of the issues they will be...
TalentNZ presents Graeme Wong 30/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Graeme is an investment manager and a director and board member of various companies, including China Forestry Group NZ. He has held a number of high-profile roles in the forestry, agricultural and investment sectors. Currently...
TalentNZ presents Malcolm Webb 29/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Malcolm is a partner in the global law firm Webb Henderson, which has developed from a practice he established in 2004. The firm specialises in telecommunication, energy and other infrastructure sectors and has offices in Auckland,...
TalentNZ presents Catherine Walker 28/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Catherine is the community manager in charge of social media at Xero, a global online accounting software company. Her background in analysis and user documentation has contributed to her focus on customer experience. Joining Xero...
TalentNZ presents Damien van Brandenburg 27/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Damien is an architect who works in the Dunedin studio of Architecture Van Brandenburg. Among the studio’s current projects is designing the headquarters for a leading Chinese fashion label in Shenzhen. Damien provides a perspective...
TalentNZ presents Frances Valintine 26/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network At the time of this interview Frances was Chief executive of the Media Design School in Auckland. Beginning her career in Europe, she has extensive experience in the creative and technology sectors. She has recently opened The Mind...
LongTermNZ Features in Policy Quarterly
One year on, it is great to see that the LongtermNZ workshop is having a continuing effect. This month two participants, Susie Krieble and Finn O’Dwyer-Cunliffe, have had their views published in the November issue of Policy Quarterly with an article...
TalentNZ present Michael ‘MOD’ O’Donnell 25/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network MOD is Chief Operating Officer at Trade Me, New Zealand’s largest online marketplace. Established 14 years ago, Trade Me now has over 3 million registered users and is listed on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges. MOD is...
TalentNZ presents Patrick Nolan 24/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Patrick is the chief economist at Reform, a British think tank focused on public policy and economic prosperity. Before moving abroad in 2009, he worked for the New Zealand Treasury and as an economic advisor to a front-bench...
TalentNZ Presents Tim Nixon 23/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Tim has used his skills in game development to establish Runaway Play, a Dunedin-based company that uses nature as the inspiration for creating games for desktop and mobile devices. Tim, who believes anybody can be creative, shares...
TalentNZ presents Bill Moran 22/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Bill joined the Treasury in 1985 and over the last eight years has led its work across macroeconomic and fiscal policy, tax strategy and state sector management; in 2013 he was appointed Deputy Secretary of Strategy, Change and...
TalentNZ presents Raf Manji 20/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Before moving to New Zealand in 2002, Raf worked as an investment banker in London. Today Raf is the founder of the Sustento Institute, a Christchurch-based policy development organisation, and Chair of the Volunteer Army...
TalentNZ presents Ocean Mercier 21/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Ocean is a lecturer in the School of Māori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. She has a PhD in physics, and a special interest in the interface between Māori and Western science. Ocean presents Project Mātauranga on Māori...
TalentNZ presents Liz MacPherson 19/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network At the time of this interview Liz was deputy CEO for strategy and governance at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, working to advance government business growth policies. She is also a former acting chief executive...
TalentNZ: Sending out the message
Over the last two weeks the Institute’s boardroom has been re-purposed as a make-shift mail centre as the distribution of our latest publication, TalentNZ: Creating a Place Where Talent Wants to Live, gets underway. Summer interns Annie and Josie McGuinness, Johanna...
TalentNZ presents Tahu Kukutai 18/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Tahu is one of New Zealand’s leading demographers. She is currently working at the University of Waikato on Ethnicity Counts? (eCounts?), a project that tracks how governments across the world count and classify their populations...
TalentNZ presents Paul Hansen 17/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Paul is an associate professor in economics at the University of Otago. He is also a co-inventor of 1000Minds decision-making software, which is used by businesses, government agencies and researchers internationally. He is also...
TalentNZ presents Andrew Hamilton 16/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Andrew is the founding CEO of The ICEHOUSE, a business growth centre based in Auckland that works with entrepreneurs and business owners to enable their growth. In 2010, The ICEHOUSE was recognised as one of the top 10 technology...
TalentNZ presents Jim Flynn 15/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Jim is Emeritus Professor of Political Studies at the University of Otago. He is famous for his work on intelligence and in particular the identification of a trend toward increasing IQ scores, known as the Flynn Effect. In 2013 he...
Interview with Face Television
On the 7th of October the McGuinness Institute’s CEO Wendy McGuinness was interviewed for Face Television’s ‘In Conversation with Noel Cheer’. In this interview Wendy discusses the structure and role of think tanks, their relationship with public institutions and an...
TalentNZ presents Janice Feutz 14/30
TalentNZ: Join the TalentNZ Network Janice Feutz is corporate manager for CORE Technology, a Wellington company that is revolutionising the software industry. She began her career as a teacher, and went on to establish an education business in Xiamen, China. Janice...
TalentNZ presents Rod Drury 13/30
Rod is a founder and CEO of online accounting software company Xero. He has extensive experience in software development, and since founding Glazier Systems in 1995, he has developed a reputation for technology entrepreneurship. Working from home in the Hawke’s Bay...