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  • Should the Reserve Bank target unemployment as well as inflation? Will the new government abolish the dual mandate?

    nonaBack in 1989 – near the end of the fourth Labour government – the inflation-busting Reserve Bank Act was passed. Labour has shifted well away from the Rogernomics of that decade, and in 2021 Grant Robertson added maximum sustainable employment to the bank’s mandate - with the support of coalition partner NZ First.

    Read more: Should the Reserve Bank target unemployment as well as inflation? Will the new government abolish...

  • The next three years – the job ahead for Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori

    The Fabians had a session on Nov 14th reflecting on the elections. Our panel of Simon Wilson, Senior Writer at NZ Herald, Bridie Witton, Stuff Press Gallery Reporter and Ollie Neas, freelance writer used the election results as a springboard to target some of the key issues for Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori as they head into opposition.

    Coverage can be found here

  • Rob Campbell on Pae Ora Health Reforms

    Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Pae Ora health reforms with you.

    Since I was sacked by the Health Minister I have taken time to reflect on the experience and to make a considered assessment of what I learned in the process. My intention tonight is to share that with you, making the assumption that we share common ground in wanting to have an effective, efficient, excellent and equitable public health service.

    If anyone does not want that, I don’t really have anything useful to share with you.

    Read more: Rob Campbell on Pae Ora Health Reforms

  • Interview transcript: Ambassador Wang Xiaolong with NZ Fabian Society

    Hello, my name is Mike Smith, from the New Zealand Fabian Society. It's my great pleasure today to interview Ambassador Wang Xiaolong from the People's Republic of China to talk with us about China's values. I heard Ambassador Wang speak at a meeting convened by the Institute of International RelationsNZIIA last year and in the course of that meeting, he addressed the question of China's values and said, "China's choice for values, social system and path to modernity is made by our own people, based on our own history, culture and realities. All these choices have proven to be suitable and effective to solve China's problems and meet the needs of the Chinese people".

    Read more: Interview transcript: Ambassador Wang Xiaolong with NZ Fabian Society

Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer launched the book Rethinking the State Sector Act in Parliament yesterday. His speech is here, and is also on our publications page. Other speakers included Hon Maryan Street, Denise Roche MP, and Brenda Pilott, National Secretary of PSA/Te Pukenga Here Tikanga.

The book (which you can download in a variety of formats from our publications section) features contributions from a wide group of speakers to the series of lectures and seminars run by the Fabian Society in 2013 in partnership with the PSA/Te 'Pukenga Here Tikanga. There was general agreement from all the contributors that it was time to rethink the principles behind the Act which was passed in 1988.

Sir Geoffrey listed several reasons why in his opinion a serious rethink was needed, and why he had called for a Royal commission. They included:

  1. Future proof against short-term decision-making
  2. Managerial theory that states that managers can manage without knowledge
  3. Decline of tradition of free and frank advice
  4. Unattractive nature of job precludes best and brightest - reinstate senior executive service provisions
  5. Increased difficulties of policy design
  6. Silo effect precluding co-operation
  7. Failure to adequately protect the Crown's legal risk
  8. Serious structural issues that need to be addressed in a holistic manner
  9. Inadequate training
  10. A weak centre