Blog
KiMuaNZ: Exploring climate futures workshop now underway
The KiMuaNZ: Exploring climate futures workshop began with participants being welcomed by Wendy McGuinness and Dr Richard Lum; author of 4 Steps to the Future and facilitator of the first day of the workshop. The 40 participants gathered at the Institute before...
A Point of Vanishing Stability discussion event
On 30 May 2019 the Institute held a public event titled ‘A Point of Vanishing Stability’ at the National Library of New Zealand. Our intention was to explore how New Zealand can respond to the complex challenges posed by climate change. We brought together a variety...
Speaking with two Pacific Island leaders about climate change action – Hon. Henry Puna and Hon. Fiame Mata’afa
At the Just Transition Summit on 9 and 10 May, the McGuinness Institute team were fortunate enough to be able to speak with Hon. Henry Puna – Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, and Hon. Fiame Mata’afa – Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa. Henry and Fiame shared with us...
Just Transition Summit 2019
On 9 and 10 May 2019 the Institute attended the Just Transition National Summit held in Taranaki. The Summit facilitated an economy-wide opportunity to share perspectives and discuss what defining a just transition to a low emissions future looks like in New Zealand....
2018 GDS Index – Now launched!
The McGuinness Institute launched the 2018 GDS Index on Thursday 2 May 2019 at a lunchtime presentation attended by around 40 MPs, government department officials, and other interested parties. Wendy McGuinness discussed why government department strategies (GDSs) are...
A 40 year journal now published – ‘Āpōpō Journal’
To welcome in the New Year, the McGuinness Institute is pleased to announce the publication of Āpōpō Journal: Navigating the future with foresight (Mā te matapae te wāheke e whakatere). Completed at the end of 2018, we combined forces with the creative talent of...
Prime Minister’s Summer Reading List 2018/2019
As 2018 comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the last 12 months and consider what the next 12 months might bring. Selecting the Prime Minister’s summer reading list is a chance to think about what skills and capabilities might be required to make the most of the...
10 things I wish my friends knew about going to the UN
The McGuinness Institute was pleased to be able to sponsor 2017 WakaNZ workshop participant Trinity Thompson-Browne for her trip to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). Trinity attended the seventeenth session of the forum in April 2018....
Mātauranga continues to resonate throughout Aotearoa
We are pleased to note that Mātauranga, produced as a koha for participants, speakers and special guests of the 2017 WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop, has become a very successful output of the workshop. It has been picked up by a range of communities across...
Integrated Reporting panel discussion at CPA Congress 2018
On 17 October 2018 a panel session on Integrated reporting: Understanding the different methodologies was held in Auckland as part of the CPA Congress 2018. The session was chaired by Mark Hucklesby (National Technical Director, Audit at Grant Thornton) and the other...
Report 17 – ReportingNZ: Building a Reporting Framework Fit for Purpose is now available for public feedback
The Institute has completed a major piece of work on New Zealand’s reporting framework – the country’s information infrastructure. The report is now in draft and out for public consultation; it is available to read here and we would appreciate all feedback by 5 pm on...
The landscape of climate change research in New Zealand – lunchtime discussion
Throughout the McGuinness Institute’s research for Report 17, we found that New Zealand’s climate change reporting is acutely lacking; there is no specific requirement for companies, government departments, and councils to report on their climate impact, and,...
Working Paper 2018/03 – Analysis of Climate Change Reporting in the Public and Private Sectors now published, demonstrating low levels of climate change reporting
New McGuinness Institute research demonstrates the low standard of climate change reporting by New Zealand’s major organisations. Working Paper 2018/03 – Analysis of Climate Change Reporting in the Public and Private Sectors, published here, found that information,...
London School of Economics course: Global Macroeconomic Issues
I attended the Global Macroeconomics Issues course at the London School of Economics from 11 to 15 June 2018. The teaching faculty included Gianluca Benigno (Associate Professor), Paul De Grauwe (Professor), Lorenzo Codogno (Professor), Linda Yueh (Adjunct Professor)...
London School of Economics course: Behavioural Economics and the Modern Economy
I attended the Behavioural Economics and the Modern Economy course at the London School of Economics (LSE) from 11 to 15 June 2018. The teaching faculty included Matthew Levy (Assistant Professor), Nava Ashraf (Professor), Erik Eyster (Professor) and Dr Kristof...
Visit from University of Canterbury Masters students
On Tuesday 26 June, 15 Masters in policy and governance students from the University of Canterbury visited the Institute to talk to Wendy about her work in politics, governance and policy. The students were curious and engaged and had prepared a list of questions for...
CEO Research Trip Insights Discussion Evening
Wendy McGuinness explored the insights from her overseas research trip at a discussion evening at the McGuinness Institute on 26 June 2018. In her presentation she shared her two most significant takeaways: That Europe is in the middle of a 'slow crisis of...
OECD Forum 2018: Distilling the message from the noise
About the OECD Forum, 29 to 30 May 2018 Over two days 3000 attendees came together in Paris to hear some of the 80+ sessions and explore ‘What brings us together?’. Discussions were loosely structured around three central and connected themes: inclusive growth,...
McGuinness Institute Newsletter Issue 19 out now!
This newsletter shares our updated work programme, giving you a summary of what we have been doing since our last newsletter in May 2017 and detailing what we hope to achieve before the end of the year. Our work programme this year is focused on the 10 year...
CivicsNZ think piece and working paper published
Think Piece 29 – Civics and Citizenship Education in New Zealand: A case for change? and Working Paper 2018/02 – Civics and Citizenship Education in New Zealand Schools: Current state have now been published as accompanying documents to the Policy Quarterly (vol 3,...
Think Piece 28 – Biological Corridors Throughout New Zealand now published
Wendy McGuinness has crystallised her vision for walking the length of New Zealand through conservation land with the newly published Think Piece 28 – Biological Corridors Throughout New Zealand. This think piece was the culmination of an idea Wendy has been fostering...
Institute presents ReportingNZ findings to the XRB
The McGuinness Institute presented the findings from the 2017 Extended External Reporting Surveys to the XRB (External Reporting Board) board members on 2 May 2018. The presentation focused largely on the importance of transparent reporting on climate change issues in...
WakaNZ workshop booklet is now published
We are pleased to announce the publication of the WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop booklet. The workshop booklet contains the findings and observations of participants from the WakaNZ workshop held in November 2017. The Institute, in collaboration with the...
Ministry of Social Development StrategyNZ workshop
On Monday afternoon the McGuinness Institute ran a two hour workshop on devising 'good' strategy documents for a group of Ministry of Social Development (MSD) employees working in the performance and strategy team. Members of the team were interested in growing MSD’s...
Reaching New Frontiers in Trentham
Earlier this week Nicholas Shackleton and Isabella Smith (research analysts at the Institute) attended day two of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship’s New Frontiers event. Co-founded by Yoseph Ayele back in 2015, New Frontiers is a global summit that takes place in New...
CFO Summit: Interview with Jonathon Porritt
Earlier this month the 2018 CFO Summit celebrated the hard work of New Zealand's top Chief Financial Officers. Over the day a number of national and international speakers addressed 200 CFOs at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland to discuss the future of their role and the...
McGuinness Institute celebrates gift of Māori name
We have officially launched the Institute's new name with the publication of the WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop’s whakataukī book. The Institute was gifted a Māori name, Te Hononga Waka, by the participants of the workshop. WakaNZ participant Shaquille...
Think piece on The Family So’otaga, an innovative initiative at the Holy Family School
An event held at Holy Family School in Cannons Creek on Tuesday, 20th February highlighted The Family So'otaga initiative, which was designed to provide more equitable outcomes for Māori and Pasifika learners and their whānau. Holy Family School pupils come from...
Fruit from the Vine Launch
WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight 2017 workshop participant Trinity Thompson-Browne has launched media company Fruit from the Vine, which aims to provide positive representations of young Māori. The launch event, hosted by Wellington City Council at the Wharewaka...
WakaNZ Workshop
AboutThe WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop was a collaboration between the New Zealand Treasury and the McGuinness Institute. It explored what a preferred future might look like in a post-Treaty settlement New Zealand. The WakaNZ workshop hosted 34...
Prime Minister’s 2018 Summer Reading List
The books we have selected for the ‘Prime Minister's 2018 summer reading list' denotes the tools, ideas and/or skills we think the Prime Minister of New Zealand might find useful next year. Three high-level ideas shape the books we have selected: Idea 1: Aligning...
The WakaNZ workshop comes to an end but the voyage continues
The full programme of the WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop concluded with a free public presentation at Te Papa Tongarewa’s marae on Thursday, 23 November 2017 to over 100 people. After spending the morning at the Institute going over their final...
WakaNZ Workshop – Day 3
Wednesday's workshop schedule was left open-ended to accommodate the evolving needs of the participants in preparing for their presentation to the Governor-General. Participants also had an opportunity on this morning to visit the He Tohu exhibition at National...
WakaNZ Workshop – Day 2
Day 2 of the workshop action opened with a crash course in foresight skills. It was led by Dr Richard Lum, an academically trained futurist from Hawai'i and author of 4 Steps to the Future, complimentary copies of which were provided to each of the participants. The...
WakaNZ Workshop – Day 1
The first official day of the WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop opened with a haka pōwhiri into Ngā Mokopuna ā Tāne, the wharenui at the heart of the New Zealand Treasury. Participants were welcomed by a number of Treasury staff including the Secretary and...
The WakaNZ workshop voyage begins
On Sunday, 19 November, WakaNZ participants landed in Wellington from all over New Zealand to begin the four-day workshop. The workshop was officially opened with a pōwhiri at Te Herenga Waka Marae of Victoria University, followed by registration, introductions and a...
3rd Edition of Nation Dates launched at Unity Books!
'History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme' is a quote often attributed to Mark Twain, and best fits our intentions for the launch of our third edition of Nation Dates. The event was held on Thursday, 2 November 2017 at Unity Books in Wellington, with Dame...
Join us for the launch of ‘Nation Dates’ (3rd edition)
On Thursday, 2 November 2017 From 6 – 7.30pm At Unity Books, 57 Willis St, Wellington How did the nation of Aotearoa New Zealand develop? How can we shape its development in the future? Join the McGuinness Institute as we launch the 3rd edition of our pocket-sized New...
EDS Conference 2017: Tipping Points
On 9 and 10 August 2017 Nicholas Shackleton (intern at the Institute) attended the Environmental Defence Society’s annual conference, titled ‘Tipping Points’ for 2017. Topics including terrestrial habitats, farming, marine habitats, fishing and policy were all covered...
Three weeks to go until the general election
The McGuinness Institute is non-partisan but we do have a strong interest in democracy and in having all New Zealanders (especially young New Zealanders) engaged with the political process and sharing their thoughts. For this reason, with the General Election only...
WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight – workshop applications now open!
Applications are now open for the WakaNZ: Navigating with foresight workshop. The workshop will provide a space to bring together 36 young New Zealanders of Māori descent (aged 18 – 25) explore a preferred future for post-Treaty settlement New Zealand. It is a...
GummonMateVote Pasifika youth voter engagement initiative is now live
In January 2017 the Institute met with Jocelyn Kua and Toni Weir from the Electoral Commission to discuss how the Institute might help increase voter engagement for the 2017 general election. As a follow on from that meeting and as part of our 2017 CivicsNZ work...
Rotary Forum: Impossible dreams for Wellington
On Tuesday, 4 August 2017 Wendy spoke as part of a panel at the Wellington Rotary Forum. This year the Forum focused on achieving the impossible dream, asking speakers what it would take for Wellington, the city and region, to be the best in the world. The Forum was...
Internation Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning Symposium in Singapore
Internation Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning Symposium (IRAHSS) The International Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning Symposium 2017 (IRAHSS 2017) was held in Singapore on 18 and 19 July 2017. The symposium brought together speakers and attendants from government...
World Science Festival 2017 – The Future of Farming: Programming perfect produce with ‘food computers’
The Future of Farming: Programming perfect produce event was held on Saturday, 3 June 2017 in New York at the Saveur Test Kitchen. The event brought together self-described ‘nerd farmer’, Professor Caleb Harper and Editor-in-Chief of Popular Science magazine, Joe...
Matariki and Māori astronomy with Dr Rangi Matamua
On 23 June 2017 the Institute attended a free public presentation at Te Papa Tongarewa about Matariki and Māori astronomy by Dr Rangi Matamua (Tūhoe). Dr Matamua is an associate professor at the University of Waikato and author of Matariki: The Star of the Year. His...
Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Real World Risk Management Workshop
Nassim Nicholas Taleb (official bio)Nassim Nicholas Taleb spent 21 years as a risk taker (quantitative trader) before becoming a researcher in philosophical, mathematical and (mostly) practical problems with probability. Taleb is the author of multivolume...
Project CivicsNZ 2017 Work Programme
The McGuinness Institute is non-partisan but we do have a strong interest in democracy and in having all New Zealanders (especially young New Zealanders) engaged with the political process and sharing their thoughts. For this reason, with the General Election coming...
Treasury’s Insights tool paints a picture of poverty in New Zealand
The New Zealand Treasury (Kaitohutohu Kaupapa Rawa) has recently developed Insights, an interactive online tool that enables users to explore poverty in New Zealand. It is a new tool that supports our recommendation for governance lines within New Zealand to be...
Overseas ownership of New Zealand’s largest companies – have your say
Transparent and accountable corporate reporting is crucial to maintaining healthy relations between for-profit companies and the social, environmental and economic contexts those companies operate in. The results of our Project ReportingNZ scoping exercise shows there...