The Kiwi Connection: Reflections on Local Governance Policy Transfer between the UK and New Zealand

Abstract

Local governance policy has been transferred between the United Kingdom and New Zealand since the mid-nineteenth century. In recent decades, however, the processes of exchange have become more complex and more bidirectional. This article argues that contemporary policy transfer is the product of a complex interchange involving three spheres of analysis: ideological and political forces, ideas in good currency and the roles of scholars in cross-national exchange. The article concludes by considering the changing roles of academics in international policy transfer. It suggests that scholarship in this area needs to be encouraged and developed.