Chapter One: Introduction

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Chapter One: Introduction EMBRACING MANAGERIALISM IN A SMALL PACIFIC ISLAND STATE: A STUDY OF GOVERNANCE AND NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OUTCOMES IN THE COOK ISLANDS FROM 2006-2012 Jonah Nardu Tisam A thesis Submitted to Auckland University of Technology In the fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy 2015 Auckland University of Technology ATTESTATION OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare that this submission is my work and that to the best of my knowledge and belief it contains no material previously published or written by another person (except where explicitly defined in the acknowledgements), nor material which to a substantial extent has been submitted for the reward of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I dedicate this thesis to my loved ones, who endured many difficulties during my journey to write this thesis. To my wife Violet and my children, Anonga, Sandra, Tuka and Nathan, thank you for being patient. I owe it to you. To my late father Anộnga Tisam and my late mother Uyacwệ Moasing Tisam; though you have passed on, you are not forgotten. Your values taught me respect for knowledge; to learn from others and to continue to learn in life. All these values provided the pillars of strength to write this thesis, despite all the odds. This thesis is your gift to your grandchildren and the people of the Cook Islands. May God keep you in his presence and give you everlasting peace. To the people of the Cook Islands, my participants and key informants whose views are reflected in this thesis; I thank you all, from my heart. Without your contribution, this thesis would be impossible to complete. To the Cook Islands National Research Council; thank you for approving my application to research in the Cook Islands. Without your approval, I could not have carried out this study. I would like to thank the Government of the Cook Islands and the Ministry of Education in particular, for providing the financial support for the last two years of writing of this thesis. Numerous Cook Islanders supported me in one way or another in this journey, in particular, Aunty Verera Maeva Taripo, Tom Marsters, Nandi Glassie, Tou Unuia, Lee Harmon, Makiuti Tongia and Eric Wichman-Ngau. Thank you so much for your contributions in so many ways – it is impossible to list them here. I also extend my gratitude to John Woods for allowing me access to the Cook Islands News database and Patricia Marsters for transcribing most of the interviews for me from Mangaia. Meitaki ma’ata for your help. To Boonyalakha Makboon; thank you for your encouragement when things got tough in this journey. I am indebted to my supervisors, Professor Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop and Professor Marilyn Waring. You are the best! I thank you for your advice, critique, and feedback that enabled me to walk this journey. Without your guidance, this thesis would not be completed. Once again, I thank you all. ii ETHICS APPROVAL The ethical approval No 12/184 for this research was granted by the Auckland University of Technology Ethics Committee (AUTEC) at its meeting held on 13 August 2012. A permit No 21/12 to undertake research in the Cook Islands was approved by the Cook Islands Foundation for National Research (FNR) on 25 June 2012. iii ABSTRACT At self-government in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965, the Cook Islands adopted the Westminster Parliamentary Democratic system of government. Alongside these modern systems were the traditional family-based Ariki (chiefly) system that was recognised in the Constitution, and by an act of Parliament in 1966 the House of Ariki was established. An amendment made to the House of Ariki Act in 1972 established the Koutu Nui. In 1969, ten Island Councils were established to manage the affairs of the island communities. In addition to these formal institutions, many churches and civil society organisations contribute to and support the development of the Cook Islands. Between 1995 and 1997 a comprehensive public sector reform took place as a response to the nation’s poor economic performance. A number of neoliberal legislation were introduced, bringing new policies and processes that required the collaboration of national agencies. Post-reform reports emphasised the success of the reforms in terms of a better performing public service and an improved economy. There has been less attention given to the question of whether and how the reform process has resulted in a better quality of life for all the people and/or increased people’s understanding of their role in the new governance system. This thesis explores people’s understanding of the systems of governance underpinning the outcomes of New Public Management (NPM) in the Cook Islands from 2006 to 2012 period. A General Systems Theoretical (GST) framework was used to explore the various parts of governance and the Pacific worldview was used with a Cook Islands lens to encapsulate the epistemology of the people, and the Cook Islands Tivaivai research model was used as a process to widely collect people’s views of the phenomenon. Individual interviews were carried out with twenty participants comprising government officials, NGOS and members of the civil society, spread over urban, rural, and by gender – and three key informants were surveyed. A critique of documents relating to governance and NPM in that period of study was carried out. Some positive outcomes were identified, however the incomplete reform process created tensions in the system. It brought about some negative outcomes and created new challenges which are highlighted in this study. A number of policy recommendations are made, and some areas for further studies have been suggested. iv Contents ATTESTATION OF AUTHORSHIP ......................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... ii ETHICS APPROVAL ............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... iv Contents ............................................................................................................................ v List of Figures .................................................................................................................. vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Appendices .......................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2 THE COOK ISLANDS ........................................................................................ 18 Part 1: Land and People............................................................................................ 18 Part 2: New Public Management (NPM) Reforms .................................................... 32 Part 3: Current Social and Economic Indicators ....................................................... 34 Chapter 3 LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 42 Part 1: The Origins of New Public Management ...................................................... 42 Part 2: New Zealand’s Reform .................................................................................. 50 Part 3: Reforms in Selected OECD Countries (Japan and Denmark) ........................ 54 Part 4: The Commonwealth Caribbean States’ Reforms .......................................... 58 Part 5: The Cooks Islands Reform ............................................................................. 65 Chapter 4 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS ................................................................ 76 Part 1: Research Design ............................................................................................ 77 Research Paradigm and Approach .............................................................................. 78 Pacific Approach .......................................................................................................... 79 Systems Approach ....................................................................................................... 85 Part 2: Research Methods ........................................................................................ 90 Part 3: Document Review ......................................................................................... 99 Part 4: Reflections on Fieldwork ............................................................................ 105 Chapter 5 FINDINGS (PART 1) ....................................................................................... 111 Part 1: The Traditional Chiefly Systems - Ariki (and Koutu Nui) ............................... 113 Part 2: Place of Island Governments in the System .................................................. 123 Part 3: Relationship between Central Agencies, Line Ministries, and Government Agencies .................................................................................................................... 135 Part 4: The Cook Islands and New Zealand’s ‘Special’ Relationship ......................... 141 Chapter
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