Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence Editor Dr Claire Breen Editor: Dr Claire Breen Administrative Assistance: Janine Pickering The Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence is published annually by the University of Waikato School of Law. Subscription to the Yearbook costs $NZ35 (incl gst) per year in New Zealand and $US40 (including postage) overseas. Advertising space is available at a cost of $NZ200 for a full page and $NZ100 for a half page. Back numbers are available. Communications should be addressed to: The Editor Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence School of Law The University of Waikato Private Bag 3105 Hamilton 3240 New Zealand North American readers should obtain subscriptions directly from the North American agents: Gaunt Inc Gaunt Building 3011 Gulf Drive Holmes Beach, Florida 34217-2199 Telephone: 941-778-5211, Fax: 941-778-5252, Email: [email protected] This issue may be cited as (2008-2009) Vols 11-12 Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence. All rights reserved ©. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1994, no part may be reproduced by any process without permission of the publisher. ISSN No. 1174-4243 Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence Volumes 11 & 12 (combined) 2008 & 2009 Contents NEW ZEALAND’S FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH CHINA IN CONTEXT: DEMONSTRATING LEADERSHIP IN A GLOBALISED WORLD Hon Jim McLay CNZM QSO 1 CHINA TRANSFORMED: FTA, SOCIALISATION AND GLOBALISATION Yongjin Zhang 15 POLITICAL SPEECH AND SEDITION The Right Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer 36 THE UNINVITED GUEST: THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN AN OPEN DEMOCRACY Karl du Fresne 52 TERRORISM, PROTEST AND THE LAW: IN A MARITIME CONTEXT Dr Ron Smith 61 RESPONDING TO THE ECONOMIC CRISIS: A QUESTION OF LAW, POLICY OR POLITICS Margaret Wilson 74 WHO DECIDES WHERE A DECEASED PERSON WILL BE BURIED – TAKAMORE REVISITED Nin Tomas 81 Editor’s Introduction This combined issue of the Yearbook arises out of public events that were organised by the School of Law (as it was then called) in 2008 and 2009. The events covered a range of themes including the New Zealand – China Free Trade Agreement, Free Speech, the Economic Crisis and, reflecting the bicultural endeavour of the School, the challenge of cultural intermarriage and burial rights presented by the Takamore Decision. This edition of the Yearbook gathers a selection of papers that are presented under the broad theme of ‘Challenges Facing Aotearoa New Zealand’. The first public event was a public symposium on the New Zealand - China Free Trade Agreement, which was held in June 2008. The signing of the FTA was greeted with great fanfare two years ago. There was also a degree of trepidation regarding the FTA. The public symposium was organised to bring together a range of speakers and views on the significance of the FTA for New Zealand. The School was very pleased to be able to host distinguished speakers such as: Graeme Waters former Head of the China Unit at MFAT at that time and current New Zealand Ambassador to Egypt; Hon. Jim McLay, Executive Chairman of Macquarie New Zealand, former Deputy Prime Minister and current New Zealand Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York; Professor Yongjin Zhang who was the Director of the New Zealand Asia Institute at the time of the symposium and who subsequently took up a Chair in International Politics at the University of Bristol; Professor Alexander Gillespie of Waikato Law School; Dr Anna Strutt, Senior Lecturer at Waikato Management School; and Margaret Taylor, Campaign Manager for Amnesty International NZ. Subsequently, in July 2008, the School of Law organised a Public Seminar entitled Free Speech and the Safety of the State. Again, the School was very pleased to be able to host a further group of distinguished speakers. Sir Geoffrey Palmer, the President of the NZ Law Commission Dr Rodney Harrison QC who is a Public Law Specialist and Human Rights Litigator, Karl du Fresne who is a Freelance Journalist and former Editor of the Dominion, and Dr Ron Smith Director, International Relations and Security Studies, Waikato University addressed a very full audience and provided a most informative and stimulating set of addresses on the topic of free speech. In May 2009, the School hosted a further public seminar entitled Responding to the Economic Crisis: a question of law, policy or politics? Hon Margaret Wilson, the Professor of Law & Public Policy at the School of Law, here at the University of Waikato, Roger Kerr, the Executive Director of the New Zealand Business Roundtable, and Professor Jane Kelsey of Faculty of Law, ii Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence Vols 11-12 University of Auckland addressed yet another full audience and provided some insightful commentary and analysis on the economic crisis that had just begun to grip New Zealand and the effects of which may still be felt at the time of writing this Introduction. Associate Professor Nin Tomas of the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland visited Waikato Law School for a week in October 2009. We were delighted to have her with us and during her visit she gave a public lecture entitled Who has the right to decide where a deceased person is buried? The Takamore Decision. Associate Professor Tomas examined the then recently decided High Court case of Clarke v Takamore and the challenge that the decision posed for intercultural marriages. As with all previous events, the public lecture was very well supported. All of the afore-mentioned events provided the opportunity for open discussion and the questions asked and observations made during these discussions added a valuable and thought-provoking dimension. The contributors to this volume have revised their papers in order to contribute to this special issue of the Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence. However, readers of the Yearbook should remember that the papers are still largely based on the seminar presentations and there is some variance in length, detail and tone. The priority of the Yearbook has been to allow the papers to be distributed more widely and to record those papers in a permanent form. In my capacity as Editor, I would like to thank all of the individuals who contributed to the public events. I would like to give special thanks to Professor John Farrar, the former Dean of the School of Law, for his very able chairing of both the New Zealand-China FTA Symposium and the Free Speech public seminar. I would also like to thank Professor Al Gillespie who chaired the seminar on the Economic Crisis and Professor Brad Morse who chaired the public lecture on the Takamore decision. I would also like to thank those speakers who were so generous with their time in agreeing to write and finalise their articles for publication in the Yearbook and for their patience with me as Editor. I would also like to make special thanks to Janine Pickering for her skilful assistance in organising these public events and for her editorial assistance in preparing this volume. Dr Claire Breen Associate Professor of Law, University of Waikato Editor Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence New Zealand’s Free Trade Agreement with China in Context: Demonstrating Leadership in a Globalised World Hon Jim McLay CNZM QSO* I. INTRODUCTION: PUTTING THE FTA INTO CONTEXT There are many ways to put New Zealand’s Free Trade Agreement with China into context; one might be to contrast the signing of the Closer Economic Relationship Agreement (CER) with Australia in March 1983 with that of the China FTA almost 25 years later, in April 2008. The ceremonies — if the first could even be so described — could not have been more different. CER which is still regarded as the world’s ‘cleanest’ free trade agreement — was not exactly signed in secrecy, but it might as well have been. Neither country attended and the ‘signing’ was done by video link. Signing was delayed because Australia’s incoming Labor Government wanted to review CER’s terms before agreeing to them. Prime Minister Muldoon, only a convert to CER,1 was worried about the economic and political implications of a deal strongly opposed by New Zealand manufacturers and not seen to advantage by exporters. Twenty-five years later, the China deal was ushered in with great ceremony. The then Prime Minister, Helen Clark, attended the Beijing signing, as did her Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, whose presence signified the importance of the agreement, and 150 business and local government representatives bore witness. The media gave justifiable publicity, and speculated widely — often wildly — on its prospects. How is it that, over twenty-five years, New Zealand has come from (at best) qualified to full support for free trade to a situation where, today, all our major political parties support free trade.2 We have, of course, always advocated open borders for agriculture;3 but our manufacturers were deeply suspicious of anything more. Indeed, National * I express my appreciation to Tom Groser MP and Hon Hugh Templeton, who provided valuable input and original thinking to this address. Wherever possible, I have tried to attribute those sources; but, any errors or omissions — and, above all, the views expressed — remain my personal responsibility. 1 This conversion was largely achieved through the efforts of Hugh Templeton. 2 On the political Left, that’s due, in no small part, to the efforts of Mike Moore in the 80s and 90s. 3 Tim Groser MP, to the writer, in May 2008. Groser advises he never had to convert Prime Minister Muldoon to that particular cause; he was always a believer. 2 Yearbook of New Zealand Jurisprudence Vols 11-12 Party folklore had it that, just before the 1972 election, manufacturers put notes into pay packets warning that National was freeing up imports, and that would cost jobs — so, it was understandable that older MPs regarded free trade with apprehension.
Recommended publications
  • The Politics of Post-War Consumer Culture
    New Zealand Journal of History, 40, 2 (2006) The Politics of Post-War Consumer Culture THE 1940s ARE INTERESTING YEARS in the story of New Zealand’s consumer culture. The realities of working and spending, and the promulgation of ideals and moralities around consumer behaviour, were closely related to the political process. Labour had come to power in 1935 promising to alleviate the hardship of the depression years and improve the standard of living of all New Zealanders. World War II intervened, replacing the image of increasing prosperity with one of sacrifice. In the shadow of the war the economy grew strongly, but there remained a legacy of shortages at a time when many sought material advancement. Historical writing on consumer culture is burgeoning internationally, and starting to emerge in New Zealand. There is already some local discussion of consumption in the post-war period, particularly with respect to clothing, embodiment and housing.1 This is an important area for study because, as Peter Gibbons points out, the consumption of goods — along with the needs they express and the desires they engender — deeply affects individual lives and social relationships.2 A number of aspects of consumption lend themselves to historical analysis, including the economic, the symbolic, the moral and the political. By exploring the political aspects of consumption and their relationships to these other strands, we can see how intense contestation over the symbolic meaning of consumption and its relationship to production played a pivotal role in defining the differences between the Labour government and the National opposition in the 1940s.
    [Show full text]
  • NEW ZEALAND and the OCCUPATION of JAPAN Gordon
    CHAPTER SIX NEW ZEALAND AND THE OCCUPATION OF JAPAN Gordon Daniels During the Second World War His Majesty’s Dominions, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa shared a common seniority in the British imperial structure. All were virtually independent and co-operated in the struggle against the axis. But among these white-ruled states differ- ences were as apparent as similarities. In particular factors of geography and racial composition gave New Zealand a distinct political economy which shaped its special perspective on the Pacific War. Not only were New Zealanders largely British in racial origin but their economy was effectively colonial.1 New Zealand farmers produced agricultural goods for the mother country and in return absorbed British capital and manufac- turers. Before 1941 New Zealand looked to the Royal Navy for her defence and in exchange supplied troops to fight alongside British units in both world wars.2 What was more, New Zealand’s prime minister from 1940 to 1949 was Peter Fraser who had been born and reared in Scotland. His dep- uty, Walter Nash, had also left Britain after reaching adulthood.3 Thus political links between Britons and New Zealanders were reinforced by true threads of Kith and Kin which made identification with the mother country especially potent. These economic and political ties were con- firmed by the restricted nature of New Zealand’s diplomatic appara- tus which formed the basis of her view of the East Asian world. New The author is grateful to the librarian of New Zealand House and Mrs P. Taylor for their help in providing materials for the preparation of this paper.
    [Show full text]
  • 'About Turn': an Analysis of the Causes of the New Zealand Labour Party's
    Newcastle University e-prints Date deposited: 2nd May 2013 Version of file: Author final Peer Review Status: Peer reviewed Citation for item: Reardon J, Gray TS. About Turn: An Analysis of the Causes of the New Zealand Labour Party's Adoption of Neo-Liberal Policies 1984-1990. Political Quarterly 2007, 78(3), 447-455. Further information on publisher website: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com Publisher’s copyright statement: The definitive version is available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-923X.2007.00872.x Always use the definitive version when citing. Use Policy: The full-text may be used and/or reproduced and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not for profit purposes provided that: A full bibliographic reference is made to the original source A link is made to the metadata record in Newcastle E-prints The full text is not changed in any way. The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Robinson Library, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne. NE1 7RU. Tel. 0191 222 6000 ‘About turn’: an analysis of the causes of the New Zealand Labour Party’s adoption of neo- liberal economic policies 1984-1990 John Reardon and Tim Gray School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Newcastle University Abstract This is the inside story of one of the most extraordinary about-turns in policy-making undertaken by a democratically elected political party.
    [Show full text]
  • Bruce Mason, James K. Baxter, Mervyn Thompson, Renée and Robert Lord, Five Playwrights
    Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. METAMORPHOSIS AT 'THE MARGIN': BRUCE MASON, JAMES K. BAXTER, MERVYN THOMPSON, RENtE AND ROBERT LORD, FIVE PLAYWRIGHTS WHO HAVE HELPED TO CHANGE THE FACE OF NEW ZEALAND DRAMA. A thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy III English at Massey University [Palmerston North], New Zealand Susan Lillian Williams 2006 11 DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my grandfather and my mother, neither of whom had the privilege of gaining the education that they both so much deserved. I stand on their shoulders, just as my son, David, will stand on mine. The writing of this thesis, however, would not have been possible without the unstinting assistance of Ainslie Hewton. Finally, to my irreplaceable friend,Zeb, the puppy I wanted and never had as a child. Zeb nurtured me throughout this long project and then, in the last week of completion, was called by the black rabbit. Thank you for everything you taught me Zebedee. You and I will always be playing alongside your beloved riverbank. III ABSTRACT Drama has been the slowest of the arts to develop an authentic New Zealand 'voice.' This thesis focuses on the work of five playwrights: Bruce Mason, James K. Baxter, Mervyn Thompson, Renee and Robert Lord, all of whom have set out to identify such a 'voice' and in so doing have brought about a metamorphosis in the nature of New Zealand drama.
    [Show full text]
  • A Diachronic Study of Unparliamentary Language in the New Zealand Parliament, 1890-1950
    WITHDRAW AND APOLOGISE: A DIACHRONIC STUDY OF UNPARLIAMENTARY LANGUAGE IN THE NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT, 1890-1950 BY RUTH GRAHAM A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics Victoria University of Wellington 2016 ii “Parliament, after all, is not a Sunday school; it is a talking-shop; a place of debate”. (Barnard, 1943) iii Abstract This study presents a diachronic analysis of the language ruled to be unparliamentary in the New Zealand Parliament from 1890 to 1950. While unparliamentary language is sometimes referred to as ‘parliamentary insults’ (Ilie, 2001), this study has a wider definition: the language used in a legislative chamber is unparliamentary when it is ruled or signalled by the Speaker as out of order or likely to cause disorder. The user is required to articulate a statement of withdrawal and apology or risk further censure. The analysis uses the Communities of Practice theoretical framework, developed by Wenger (1998) and enhanced with linguistic impoliteness, as defined by Mills (2005) in order to contextualise the use of unparliamentary language within a highly regulated institutional setting. The study identifies and categorises the lexis of unparliamentary language, including a focus on examples that use New Zealand English or te reo Māori. Approximately 2600 examples of unparliamentary language, along with bibliographic, lexical, descriptive and contextual information, were entered into a custom designed relational database. The examples were categorised into three: ‘core concepts’, ‘personal reflections’ and the ‘political environment’, with a number of sub-categories. This revealed a previously unknown category of ‘situation dependent’ unparliamentary language and a creative use of ‘animal reflections’.
    [Show full text]
  • What the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act Aimed to Do, Why It Did Not Succeed and How It Can Be Repaired
    169 WHAT THE NEW ZEALAND BILL OF RIGHTS ACT AIMED TO DO, WHY IT DID NOT SUCCEED AND HOW IT CAN BE REPAIRED Sir Geoffrey Palmer* This article, by the person who was the Minister responsible for the introduction and passage of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, reviews 25 years of experience New Zealand has had with the legislation. The NZ Bill of Rights Act does not constitute higher law or occupy any preferred position over any other statute. As the article discusses, the status of the NZ Bill of Rights Act has meant that while the Bill of Rights has had positive achievements, it has not resulted in the transformational change that propelled the initial proposal for an entrenched, supreme law bill of rights in the 1980s. In the context of an evolving New Zealand society that is becoming ever more diverse, more reliable anchors are needed to ensure that human rights are protected, the article argues. The article discusses the occasions upon which the NZ Bill of Rights has been overridden and the recent case where for the first time a declaration of inconsistency was made by the High Court in relation to a prisoner’s voting rights. In particular, a softening of the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, as it applies in the particular conditions of New Zealand’s small unicameral legislature, is called for. There is no adequate justification for maintaining the unrealistic legal fiction that no limits can be placed on the manner in which the New Zealand Parliament exercises its legislative power.
    [Show full text]
  • Innovation in New Zealand Statute Law
    WHAT IS DISTINCTIVE ABOUT NEW ZEALAND LAW AND THE NEW ZEALAND WAY OF DOING LAW - INNOVATION IN NEW ZEALAND STATUTE LAW Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer President, Law Commission Paper delivered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Law Commission, Legislative Council Chamber, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, 25 August 2006 What is this paper about? 1 The threshold question is to define what this paper is about.1 Tests as to what is innovative tend to be subjective. What is meant by “innovative” in the first place? The Oxford English Dictionary makes it plain that innovation is the action of innovating; the introduction of novelties; the alteration of what is established by the introduction of new elements or forms. In one sense, every statute is an innovation. The term is also susceptible to a distinction between those statutes that are innovative as to form and those that are innovative as to policy. Some statutes are known for the novelty and boldness of their policy. Others for the use of intricate and novel legislative techniques, for example the claw back provisions of the Treaty of Waitangi (State Enterprises) Act 1988.2 Some lawyers may admire particular legislative techniques that have no great impact except to implement faithfully the policy of the Act. And that policy may be of no great significance. On the other hand, statutes that are simple in drafting terms may raise enormous controversy leading to a difficult and long parliamentary passage. 2 Contemplating the difficulty of selection, I informally surveyed the Law Commission lawyers as to what they considered to be the three top innovative pieces of legislation in New Zealand.
    [Show full text]
  • Life Stories of Robert Semple
    Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. From Coal Pit to Leather Pit: Life Stories of Robert Semple A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of a PhD in History at Massey University Carina Hickey 2010 ii Abstract In the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Len Richardson described Robert Semple as one of the most colourful leaders of the New Zealand labour movement in the first half of the twentieth century. Semple was a national figure in his time and, although historians had outlined some aspects of his public career, there has been no full-length biography written on him. In New Zealand history his characterisation is dominated by two public personas. Firstly, he is remembered as the radical organiser for the New Zealand Federation of Labour (colloquially known as the Red Feds), during 1910-1913. Semple’s second image is as the flamboyant Minister of Public Works in the first New Zealand Labour government from 1935-49. This thesis is not organised in a chronological structure as may be expected of a biography but is centred on a series of themes which have appeared most prominently and which reflect the patterns most prevalent in Semple’s life. The themes were based on activities which were of perceived value to Semple. Thus, the thematic selection was a complex interaction between an author’s role shaping and forming Semple’s life and perceived real patterns visible in the sources.
    [Show full text]
  • Research THESES COMPLETED 2003–2004
    336 New Zealand Journal of History, 38, 2 (2004) Research THESES COMPLETED 2003–2004 The University of Auckland PhD Diggelmann, Lindsay Marriage, Inheritance and the Balance of Power in Twelfth-Century England and France Reid, Nicholas A Critical Biography of James Michael Liston MA Black, Philippa History of Mining and Settlement in Northern New Caledonia Edmunds, David Censorship and Values in New Zealand Broadcasting 1961–1990 Flinn, Laurel Representations of Masculinity in Nineteenth-Century British Working-Class Autobiographies Gross, Steve ‘The Time’: Its Determination, Its Standardization and Its Uses in New Zealand Until 1890 Shen, Yu Charles de Gaulle and Chiang Kai-Shek: Nationalism in Different Countries Young, Jean British Child Evacuees 1939–1945 University of Canterbury PhD Wanhalla, Angela Transgressing Boundaries: A History of the Mixed Descent Families of Maitapapa, Taieri, 1830–1940 MA Allen, Michael The Chiefs that Ballance Met: Maori Political Authority in 1885 Boulton, Leanne The Native Reserves, Assimilation and Self- Determination: Te Atiawa, the Crown and Settlers, North Taranaki 1840–1875 Brown, Hayley ‘A woman’s right to choose’: Second Wave Feminist Advocacy of Abortion Law Reform in New Zealand and New South Wales from the 1970s Bye, Ken For the Greater Good: A Comparative Study of Southland and Wallace Counties’ Reaction to Local Government Restructuring, 1871–1989 Dowling, Sarah Female Imperialism: The Victoria League in Canterbury, New Zealand 1910–2003 Fergusson, Jack Crusades as Anti-Heresy Strategy. The
    [Show full text]
  • The Constitution of New Zealand Young Labour Te Kaupapa Ture O Nga Rangatahi O Te Roopu Reipa O Aotearoa
    The Constitution of New Zealand Young Labour Te Kaupapa Ture o Nga Rangatahi o te Roopu Reipa o Aotearoa The Constitution of New Zealand Young Labour Page 1 of 12 Contents New Zealand Young Labour Constitution - As at 2 November 2018 3 1. Name/Ingoa. 3 2. Issues of Māoritanga/Ngā Āhuatanga E Pā Ana ki te Tiriti O Waitangi, ara ki te Tangata Whenua. 3 3. Objectives/Ngā Whāinga. 3 4. Membership/Tāngata Whai Wāhi. 3 5. General Meetings/Hui Whānui. 3 6. Annual General Meeting/Hui Ā-Tau. 4 7. Special General Meetings/Huinga Motuhake. 4 8. Executive Committee/Te Komiti Whakahaere. 5 9. Policy Committee/ Te Komiti Kaupapa. 7 10. Endorsement of a Youth Vice-President Candidate 8 11. Power To Delegate/Tuku Mana. 8 12. Financial Arrangements/Ahuatanga Putea. 8 13. Alteration of these Rules/Whakareketanga Ture. 9 14. Interpretation Clause/Korero Whakemaori. 9 15. Disposition of Surplus Assets/Tuku Rawa. 9 New Zealand Young Labour Constitution - Update History: 10 From the 2018 special general meeting (2 November 2018): 10 From the 2016 special general meeting (16 April 2016): 10 From the 2014 Special General Meeting (26 April 2014): 10 From the 2013 Special General Meeting (13 April 2013): 10 From the 2012 Special General Meeting (14 April 2012): 11 From the 2010 Special General Meeting (10 April 2010): 11 From the 2004 Special General Meeting (4 April 2004): 11 From the 2003 Annual General Meeting (12 April 2003): 11 From the 2002 Annual General Meeting (17 May 2002): 12 The Constitution of New Zealand Young Labour Page 2 of 12 New Zealand Young Labour Constitution - As at 2 November 2018 1.
    [Show full text]
  • OECD Economic Surveys NEW ZEALAND JUNE 2013 OVERVIEW
    OECD Economic Surveys NEW ZEALAND JUNE 2013 OVERVIEW This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law. Summary © OECD 2013 1 Main findings The New Zealand economy is beginning to gain some momentum, with post-earthquake reconstruction, business investment and household spending gathering pace. Risks to growth remain, however, stemming from high private debt levels, weak foreign demand, large external imbalances, volatile terms of trade, a severe drought and an exchange rate that appears overvalued. The main structural challenge will be to create the conditions that encourage resources to shift towards more sustainable sources of prosperity. Incomes per head are well below the OECD average, and productivity growth has been sluggish for a long time. Lifting living standards sustainably and equitably will require structural reforms to improve productivity performance and the quality of human capital. Macroeconomic policies strike the right balance between supporting the recovery and ensuring medium-term sustainability. Monetary policy is appropriately accommodative, given the high exchange rate, weak employment growth and subdued inflation. However, domestic demand is firming, and price pressures from earthquake rebuilding and housing markets are likely to strengthen.
    [Show full text]
  • Institutional Racism and the Dynamics of Privilege in Public Health
    Institutional Racism and the Dynamics of Privilege in Public Health A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at The University of Waikato by HEATHER ANNE CAME _____________________________________ 2012 ABSTRACT Institutional racism, a pattern of differential access to material resources and power determined by race, advantages one sector of the population while disadvantaging another. Such racism is not only about conspicuous acts of violence but can be carried in the hold of mono-cultural perspectives. Overt state violation of principles contributes to the backdrop against which much less overt yet insidious violations occur. New Zealand health policy is one such mono- cultural domain. It is dominated by western bio-medical discourses that preclude and under-value Māori,1 the indigenous peoples of this land, in the conceptualisation, structure, content, and processes of health policies, despite Te Tiriti o Waitangi2 guarantees to protect Māori interests. Since the 1980s, the Department of Health has committed to honouring the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of Māori-settler relationships and governance arrangements. Subsequent Waitangi Tribunal reports, produced by an independent Commission of Inquiry have documented the often-illegal actions of successive governments advancing the interests of Pākehā3 at the expense of Māori. Institutional controls have not prevented inequities between Māori and non-Māori across a plethora of social and economic indicators. Activist scholars work to expose and transform perceived inequities. My research interest lies in how Crown Ministers and officials within the public health sector practice institutional racism and privilege and how it can be transformed.
    [Show full text]