Zealand Politics Research Articles

Identity as a Variable in Canadian and New Zealand Politics

When Brubaker and Cooper spoke of the ‘identity crisis’ in the social sciences, they rued the fact that ‘identity’ was both everywhere and nowhere and that its overuse by scholars had turned it into a term that is ‘heavily burdened, deeply ambiguous’.1 What their plea for shedding the term also demonstrated, however, is the remarkable rise of the concept of identity in the last two decades. Compared to sociology and psychology, political science has been a laggard in taking identity seriously in its explanations of political and social phenomena. Identity has often been treated, like culture, as a residual category. From the early 1990s, however, identity-based explanations, and attention to identity politics as an object of study, have flourished in political science.2 Not only has identity begun to be taken more seriously as an explanatory variable in studies of international relations, competing with standard realist accounts of exogenous state interests responding to material incentives, but scholars have also turned their attention to questions of definition, operationalization and measurement of identity as both dependent and independent variable.3

Bill Rowling

Bill Rowling had the misfortune to serve as prime minister sandwiched in between three of the giants of New Zealand politics — Norman Kirk (whose untimely death brought about Rowling’s election to the position of prime minister), Robert Muldoon (who defeated Rowling in the 1975 election) and David Lange (who took over from Rowling as Labour Party leader). Although overshadowed by these three figures, Rowling - whom I term 'the quiet nationalist'— made his own special contribution to New Zealand’s independence,arising out of several sources: a distinctive 'kiwi’ leadership style; strong nationalist feelings and a sense of national identity; a commitment to anindependent foreign policy for New Zealand; and, finally, a sense of 'economic nationalism’ which was reflected in a firm opposition to foreign control of the New Zealand economy.

George Grey, 1812–1898

George Grey is chiefly remembered today as an important figure in nineteenth-century New Zealand politics. His activities as a collector, editor and above all translator of Māori myths and legends, however, have had a determining influence on New Zealand literature. Writers as various as Alfred Domett, Jessie Mackay and James K. Baxter made use of his translation of Māori mythology; poets in particular have been fascinated by his work. Grey's version of Māori myths and legends, more generally, has profoundly shaped European New Zealanders' perceptions of Māori mythology. This interest in language, while unusual in a young army officer, was characteristic of his time, for at this period language was seen as providing a unique clue to the origin and development of the human race. This notion that language (and the beliefs and traditions it expressed) was an important key - especially the language of 'primitive' peoples 'uncontaminated' by civilization - was something that Grey carried with him throughout his life. It lay, in part, behind his practice of recording local languages in the remote, newly acquired territories that he governed. It was partly responsible, in particular, for the collecting of the Māori material Grey acquired in New Zealand: in a speech he gave in 1851 to the newly-formed New Zealand Society Grey stated that he hoped a study of Māori 'laws, traditional customs and languages' would help 'clear up and illustrate the history of the entire human race, of all time, considered as an harmonious whole'. This notion of language as being highly significant also lay behind Grey's habit of buying medieval manuscripts, incunabula, first editions, dictionaries and books of translations whenever he could, material he built into a vast scholarly library. This collection still exists, one half in the National Library of South Africa in Cape Town, the other in the Auckland Public Library.

‘Indigenous Rights’ or ‘Racial Privileges’: The Rhetoric of ‘Race’ in New Zealand Politics

The New Zealand parliamentary election campaign of 2005 was marked by a significant break in the consensus between the two major political parties, Labour and National, in the area of Maori affairs: a consensus that had previously been articulated in terms of a shared commitment to ‘biculturalism’ and the Treaty of Waitangi. In January 2004, the National Party launched an attack on government policies, describing them as giving unfair privileges to Maori based purely on ‘race’. The present paper examines the National Party's adoption of the rhetoric of ‘race’ and the conceptual, political and ideological considerations behind it. It also examines attitudinal, social policy and socioeconomic factors to explain the widespread acceptability of this rhetoric among the New Zealand public. These events are considered within the context of a growing academic and political critique of ‘culturalism’ in New Zealand social policy and social science.

On the Ethnicisation of New Zealand Politics: The Foreshore and Seabed Controversy in Context1

As a case study, the author looks at developments since 2003 in the controversy around the ownership of the New Zealand foreshore and seabed. She argues in favour of a detailed analysis of the relationships between the minority and majority populations and their impact on internal tensions and mobilisation, as well as on the development of ideologies. The article identifies key factors, moments and processes in recent New Zealand history that combined and had the effect of emphasising ethnic differences and polarising the relationships between the minority and majority populations. The analysis relies on Eric Schwimmer's work, in particular on his definitions of ‘real competition’ and ‘symbolic competition’.

The Treaty of Waitangi in Contemporary New Zealand Politics

This paper identifies three discourses that are prominent in contemporary Treaty of Waitangi policy debate, each with significantly different implications for Maori political status within the modern nation-state. At one extreme the Treaty's significance is exaggerated by overemphasis on partnership as an implicit Treaty principle. At another extreme the Treaty's significance is understated by an assimilationist position that denies the Treaty's relevance to Indigenous rights which, in turn, imposes serious constraint on the extent to which partnership can actually develop into comprehensive policy practice. An alternative position is one that sees the Treaty, which is supported in international law, as affirming a twofold conception of citizenship as the basis of both individual and collective Maori rights.

The place of theory: locating the New Zealand ‘education’ Ph.D. experience, 1948–1998

The year 1998 marked 50 years of doctoral study in New Zealand, and in 1999 I embarked on a history of Ph.D. theses in Education. Influenced by Foucaultian genealogy, this employed a fusion of bibliographic, archival and life‐history interview methods. One hundred and eighty‐three Education theses were identified and 57 of these graduates interviewed. How has New Zealand’s ‘corpus’ of Education Ph.D. thesis production been enabled and constrained by its temporal/spatial location? To address this, I draw on geographical debates on ‘space’ and ‘place’. The first part contextualises thesis topics, theories and methods in discourses of international scholarship, New Zealand politics and social change. The second part narrates a parallel history of the changing circumstances and sites of thesis production—biographical, domestic and institutional. It integrates students’ accounts of thesis work’s epistemological, methodological, spatial and technological dimensions to suggest a history of New Zealand doctoral candidates’ experience.

Racial Discrimination and Political Bias on Talkback Radio in New Zealand: Assessing the Evidence

Talkback radio has the reputation of being dominated by politically conservative hosts with a penchant for using controversial and divisive issues – particularly those relating to racial or ethnic conflict – to maximise audiences. This has led some analysts in Australia to see talkback as providing a vehicle for the anti-immigration, anti-multicultural politics of populist right-wing parties. In this paper the validity of these claims in the New Zealand context is assessed by examining complaints lodged with the Broadcasting Standards Authority in 2004-2005. While analysis of these cases reveals that New Zealand places a laudably high value on freedom of speech, it also highlights those peculiarities of the talkback genre which make academic research on it particularly challenging. The article thus concludes with some methodological suggestions for research designed to furthe R our understanding of the relationship between talkback and contemporary New Zealand politics.

Deconstructing cabinet collective responsibility

New Zealand politics is getting very post-modern. In artistic terms, the new government arrangements are decidedly cubist – all the key elements are there, but it’s just not put together in the way you expect. Does it matter? Is the nation going to learn to like Picasso, or at least to live with it?

Grabbing Governments by the Throat: Question Time and Leadership in New Zealand’s Parliamentary Opposition

This article examines patterns of performance by New Zealand opposition leaders since 1980, concentrating particularly on parliamentary Question Time. I argue that Question Time is an important tool for New Zealand’s parliamentary opposition, much like in Britain and othe R advanced democracies. I show that Question Time, like New Zealand politics generally, has become more ‘presidential’ in recent times, and furthe R show that the parliamentary experience of opposition leaders is a significant factor determining their level of Question Time performance. Finally, I demonstrate that in capable hands Question Time can be a powerful factor determining the opposition’s overall popularity with voters.

Parliamentarians’ Perspectives on Proportional Representation: Electoral System Change in New Zealand

In 1996 New Zealand elected its first Parliament by proportional representation, following a long experience of governments elected according to First-Past-the-Post rules. There had been extensive debate about the likely consequences of the new system — known as ‘MMP’ (‘Mixed Member Proportional’) - for New Zealand government, politics, and policy-making. This article analyses the experiences and impressions of New Zealand’s parliamentarians - following the 1996 and 1999 MMP elections and the formation of two distinctly different coalition governments - based on extensive interviews with 101 of New Zealand’s 120 Members of Parliament.

The Hazards of Making Constitutions: Some Reflections on Comparative Constitutional Law

After teaching comparative constitutional law in the United States, Sir Geoffrey Palmer explores the nature of constitutional law in general terms and how New Zealand could learn from others. The author compares New Zealand's uncodified constitution to, for example, the United States who has a codified written constitution. The article then discusses the entrenched nature of some constitutions, compared to New Zealand's flexible and fluid constitution that exists largely in several ordinary statutes. Because of New Zealand's fragmented constitution, it is argued that its constitution has an unclear and indeterminate status; indeed, constitutional policy hardly makes an appearance in New Zealand politics. The author briefly looks at how constitutions protect fundamental rights and constitutional design in general terms, concluding that New Zealand's discussions on constitutional themes are too infused with analytical positivism, legalism, and traditionalism for policy issues. Finally, the author discusses the role of Fiji's constitution in light of its military coups. The author concludes that constitutional reform is needed in New Zealand in the form of a written and codified constitution.

Australian and New Zealand Politics

Australian and New Zealand Politics

Studying New Zealand: a guide to sources

A strong tool for those in search of information about New Zealand topics. Annotated entries on sources are arranged in sections on electronic databases, libraries and research collections, reference works, bibliographies, periodicals and newspapers, official documents and records, theses and research in progress, archives and manuscripts, and Maori information. All media are covered, including newspapers, maps, diaries, photographs, film, music, and oral records. Wood is a commentator and writer on New Zealand politics and political history.

The Essentials of Successful Leadership in Twentieth-Century New Zealand Politics

(1999). The Essentials of Successful Leadership in Twentieth-Century New Zealand Politics. Political Science: Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 108-119.

Free Market Experiments in the Laboratory of Democracy: The Long Decade of Policy Reform in New Zealand those risks

Books reviewd in this essay:Christine Cheyne, Mike O’Brien and Michael Belgrave, Social Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Critical IntroductionBrian Easton, The Commercialisation of New ZealandPaul Dalziel and Ralph Lattimore, The New Zealand Macroeconomy: A Briefing on the ReformsRC Mascarenhas, Government and the Economy in New ZealandRaymond Miller (ed.), New Zealand Politics in TransitionGeoffrey Palmer and Michael Palmer, Bridled Power: New Zealand Government Under MMP

New Zealand Politics and Social Patterns: Selected Works by Robert Chapman [Book Review

Review of: New Zealand Politics and Social Patterns: Selected Works by Robert Chapman. Elizabeth McLeay (ed), Victoria University Press, 1999.

The Impact of Electoral Reform on the Public Service: The New Zealand Case

October 1996 marked the beginning of a new era in New Zealand politics, with the advent of a system of proportional representation based on the German model. This article explores the impact of electoral reform on the public service. First, it summarises the extensive public sector reforms during the mid‐to‐late 1980s and considers the preparations undertaken by the public service for proportional representation. Second, it outlines the concerns and expectations about the likely consequences of the new electoral system on the bureaucracy. Third, against this background, the article examines the extent to which the public service has been affected by electoral reform. It is argued that despite some notable changes to the political environment within which officials operate, the overall impact of proportional representation on the public service to date has been modest. The analysis presented here is based on a series of interviews conducted during 1997 with ministers, senior public servants, ministerial advisers and parliamentary officials, along with a range of secondary sources.

Historical dictionary of New Zealand

During its history New Zealand has enjoyed a reputation as a social laboratory. The Historical Dictionary contains detailed entries covering important people, events, and places in New Zealand history and placing special emphasis upon previously neglected Maori figures and more recent history...an erudite yet very practical guide...historically sound, sober in judgment, and interesting to read...is of high quality and remarkably wide range. Recommended without reservation to all reference libraries. - REFERENCE REVIEWS The text is eminently readable...it contains an abundance of introductory information that students of New Zealand politics and culture will find interesting and entertaining. - ARBA

Neoliberalism and criticisms of earthquake insurance arrangements in New Zealand.

Global collapse of the Fordist-Keynesian regime of accumulation and an attendant philosophical shift in New Zealand politics to neoliberalism have prompted criticisms of, and changes to, the Earthquake and War Damage Commission. Earthquake insurance arrangements made 50 years ago in an era of collectivist, welfarist political action are now set in an environment in which emphasis is given to competitive relations and individualism. Six specific criticisms of the Commission are identified, each of which is founded in the rhetoric and ideology of a neoliberal political project which has underpinned radical social and economic changes in New Zealand since the early 1980s. On the basis of those criticisms, and in terms of the Earthquake Commission Act 1993, the Commission has been restructured. The new Commission is withdrawing from its primary position as the nation's non-residential property hazards insurer and is restricting its coverage of residential properties.