Blog

We will be uploading photos to our Facebook page throughout the workshop. Below are a few great photos from day one, but there are many more fantastic images on Facebook.

Today we are starting with a blank canvas. New Zealand is one of the few countries this century to invite citizens to review their nation’s constitution. And to make the most of this rare opportunity, 50 talented young people selected from throughout New Zealand, and...

In the time honoured fashion of distributing bouquets and brickbats to worthy recipients, the Institute would like to turn its eye to our neighbours across the Tasman. We would first like to offer a bouquet following the unveiling in June 2012 by Australian...

Peter Ho is the Senior Advisor to Singapore's Centre for Strategic Futures and the Chairman of the Urban Redevelopment Authority in Singapore. He is one of the world's leading experts in embedding foresight into government. Recently he was in New Zealand to speak at...

Evan Davis, in his excellent book Made in Britain, makes the case that there are three basic rules or principles that all economies tend to follow: ‘first, a country will build its economy around the resources it has available. Second, a nation will deploy these...

Following on from the 1st of June post that looked big ideas in marketing, we thought you might like to look at big ideas in the creative arts, in particular how photography, music, and technology are being integrated to develop new forms of entertainment. This is a...

This week our Chief Executive Wendy is attending the Australia New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) Future Proofing the State Conference at Te Papa. The conference was opened last night with a keynote speech from the Rt. Hon John Key. He discussed how the...

There is no other word to describe this event. I went along last night to hear The Valkyrie in Wellington, and it was simply ‘epic’ – it is unbelievable that one person could dream up this drama and set it to music. On Wednesday 25 July the show reaches Christchurch...

In September of last year the McGuinness Institute published Nation Dates: Significant events that have shaped the nation of New Zealand. The second edition of Nation Dates is under way!  We want the book to be the best reflection of our history and identity as a...

This week, at 7.30pm each night,TVNZ7 will be airing a five-part finale series about big ideas that could transform New Zealand’s future. Hosted by Tim Wilson and a panel of experts, The Big Idea will tackle ambitious topics inspired by New Zealand’s leading minds. On...

Te Ara’s new section ‘Government and Nation’ was launched by His Excellency Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, governor general, before an appreciative audience of 200 at Parliament on Wednesday night. The project has been overseen for the past two-and-a-half...

The McGuinness Institute has been closely following the developments of the current constitutional review. To this end, the Institute welcomes the recent release of the Constitutional Advisory Panel's Engagement Strategy, and wishes to advise the public of its...

At the Transit of Venus Forum we were fortunate enough to interview Craig Nevill-Manning, a kiwi computer scientist who founded Google's first remote engineering centre in New York. In this video he discusses how New Zealand business people benefit tremendously from...

At the Transit of Venus forum last week inspired by Sir Paul Callaghan, we asked David Skilling, Director of Landfall Strategy Group, four questions: What is your current focus? What makes the world lumpy? Why over-invest in external relationships? What makes the...

Rory and I spent three terrific days in Tolaga Bay and Gisborne. We have uploaded photos to our Facebook page for those interested in getting a feel for the event. In the next few weeks we will also be uploading interviews with some of the speakers to...

This week our CEO, Wendy McGuinness and our Head of Research, Rory Sarten joined the people of Te Aitanga a Hauiti and Tolaga Bay to celebrate the Transit of Venus. The forum, organised by the MacDiarmid Institute, Victoria University, and the Royal Society of New...

Occasionally we come across something that really makes us laugh out loud. So just for fun, we thought we would do regular posts on something that has made us smile. Hope you enjoy it! This video shows a creative advertising stunt by a Belgian TV channel....

One week from today, on Wednesday 6th of June, we will have the last opportunity in our lifetime to witness the Transit of Venus. To coincide with this historic event, next week the Royal Society of New Zealand, Victoria University and the MacDiarmid Institute are...

On Wednesday 6th June the New Zealand Planning Institute is hosting a free lunchtime seminar with futurologist Dr Ian Yeoman, who will be speaking about his new book 2050: Tomorrows Tourism. The book explores the future of tourism, discussing complex topics such as...

We need real clarity in New Zealand about what characteristics make a government asset a ‘strategic asset’. Much of the public debate concerning asset sales has centred on the term ‘strategic asset’, yet this term is not defined within the Treasury glossary, in the...

The McGuinness Institute has just completed an in depth submission on New Zealand King Salmon's application for resource consent to expand their salmon aquaculture operation in the Marlborough Sounds. One of our key concerns is that there are many stakeholders who...

Gareth Morgan believes the EPA decision on salmon farming in the Marlborough Sounds potentially sets a huge precedent. The Institute agrees with Gareth Morgan: We need a game plan for aquaculture. Make a submission to the EPA  by 5pm today.

On Monday 30th April, Morning Report talked to investment banker Rob Cameron who asserts that the Government’s efforts to secure public support for the planned asset sales have been a ‘disaster’. Cameron served as the Chairmen of the Capital Market Development...

New Zealand King Salmon plans to establish nine new salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds. We think this proposal deserves informed public debate. It is not only important for Marlborough, but for all of New Zealand as it is a national treasure worth preserving for...

“Science lets us see the way nature is: we experience this again as we glimpse the workings of the same great celestial clock James Cook saw when the transit of Venus began at the predicted moment on that June day in 1769.  Science is the compass on the voyage we must...

The ongoing assets sales debate presents interesting questions for New Zealand’s future and is a debate we should all be interested in. To keep you up to date with the process, this post presents some of the key points of the proposed legislation and where it stands...