Victoria UniVersity of Wellington School of Government te Kura Kāwanatanga THE YEar in rEviEw 2010 SchoolVictoria of Uni GovernmentVersity of Wellington Te Kura Kāwanatanga scHool of goVernment Te Kura Kāwanatanga THE YEar Y inE arrEviE inw 2010rEviEw 2010 School of Government reSearch centreS and InStItuteS 1 Welcome from the chair 12 Institute of Policy studies 2 From the Pro Vice-chancellor 16 Health services research centre 3 From the interim Head of school 18 Centre for strategic studies: new Zealand 4 School anniversary and Prize-giving 20 Chair in e-government Contents 6 School of government Programmes 22 Climate change research institute 9 Vietnam-Victoria link Staff newS, SemInarS and PublIcatIonS 10 ANZsog in new Zealand 23 Staff news 2010 24 School seminar Programme 2010 30 School Publications 2010 2 Victoria University of Wellington | School of Government Te Kura Kāwanatanga welcome from the chair i want to make special mention of outgoing board member, Professor Terry Stokes. Terry’s experience, lTHouGH nEw ZEaland’S recent tough which crosses both the academic and public sector a economic times are showing signs of easing, management spheres, has been hugely valuable. i our recovery from recession is likely to be gradual want to thank him for his contribution to the and lumpy. The Government has recently signalled advisory Board and to the School. its intention that the drive for efficiency in the public This past year also saw us welcome Emeritus sector continue. Professor Barrie Macdonald to the Board and as The School of Government’s role becomes acting Head of School. Barrie is doing an increasingly important in these conditions. outstanding job of leading the School through a an efficient public sector needs quality people in period of change and has made an excellent key positions. disasters such as the two Canterbury contribution to the work of the advisory board. earthquakes and the Pike river tragedy show the The School has achieved a lot this year. it has been a value of a responsive and efficient public sector privilege for me to work with vice-Chancellor, staffed by intelligent and skilled leaders and Professor Pat walsh, acting Head of School Emeritus decision-makers. Professor Barrie Macdonald and his staff, and with over this past year the School has continued to prove my colleague advisory Board members. i look its relevance to the public sector. The new doctor of forward to the coming year, as the School of Government degree programme, which started this Government builds on its work to benefit not just the year, will provide an excellent post-experience Public Sector, but all of new Zealand. qualification which is responsive to the particular Peter Hughes needs of the public sector. Chair, School of Government Advisory Board School of Government advisory board The School of Government is grateful for the continued support, focus and energy that Advisory Board Chair Peter Hughes and board members have demonstrated in their contribution throughout the 2010 year. In 2010, the Advisory Board comprised: Peter Hughes (Chair) – Chief Executive Brenda Pilott – national Secretary Ministry of Social development Public Service association John allen – Chief Executive iain rennie – State Services Commissioner Ministry of Foreign affairs and Trade State Services Commission Jonathan Boston – director Karen sewell – Chief Executive institute of Policy Studies Ministry of Education tom Kompas – director tony smith – Pro vice-Chancellor Government Crawford School of Economics and Government relations, victoria university of wellington australian national university terry stokes – Head (until June 2010) Barrie macdonald – interim Head (from July 2010) School of Government School of Government Pat Walsh – vice-Chancellor, michael mintrom – university of auckland victoria university of wellington matthew Palmer – deputy Solicitor General maarten Wevers – Chief Executive, Crown law department of Prime Minister and Cabinet www.victoria.ac.nz/sog 1 School of Government Te Kura Kāwanatanga THE YEar in rEviEw 2010 from the Pro vice-chancellor another recommendation made by the review was that the reporting line of the School should be HE YEar waS a CHallEnGinG onE for the altered from the Pro vice-Chancellor law and TSchool of Government and the university, as Government relations to the Pro vice-Chancellor both continued to struggle with the difficulty of Commerce and administration. This was a part of finding the appropriate funding mechanism for a the report that i supported, initially with some School that, unlike most of the other units within considerable reluctance born principally of the the university, does not have a large good personal relations that i have enjoyed with undergraduate cohort. the members of the School. The opportunities for The School is primarily concerned with interchange would necessarily be diminished if postgraduate education – Master’s degrees, Phds that recommendation were accepted. and, as of 2010, the doctorate of Government. But the case for change seemed to be compelling – Professor Terry Stokes’ departure from the all of the arrangements for teaching were already position of Head of School in the middle of the conducted through that Faculty, for example, and year added to uncertainty around the direction of the changes proposed were accepted by the the School. with the active involvement of an university, to be implemented in the new Year. interim Head of School, Emeritus Professor Barrie i have enjoyed my association with the School, and Macdonald, the challenges inherent in that am grateful to the members of the advisory Board situation have been squarely confronted, and (and particularly to its current Chair) for their considerable progress has been made in arriving advice and support. i have also been enormously at more satisfactory arrangements. impressed by the commitment and dedication of Throughout the second part of the year, a further the members of the School (both the academic and review was conducted which made a number of the general staff) throughout the difficulties being recommendations. The report of the review experienced. My belief is that the School is now Committee recommended that the university better positioned to meet the challenges that it (through the vice-Chancellor) should reaffirm its continues to face, and i express the hope that commitment, recognized in the Strategic Plan, to there will continue to be collaboration between it the School of Government as a major part of the and the School of law where our intellectual university’s role. That recommendation was interests overlap. accepted and endorsed. The School of Government is seen as a principal strand in the life Professor ATH smith llD Pro Vice-Chancellor and work of the university, situated as it is in Dean of Law new Zealand’s capital city. The advisory Board, chaired by Peter Hughes, welcomed this significant reaffirmation. 2 Victoria University of Wellington | School of Government Te Kura Kāwanatanga from the Interim head of School School maintained a strong record of sponsoring and organising public events, often in association HE 2010 YEar waS an iMPorTanT onE with other stakeholders. in 2010, these included Tfor the School of Government. after the public symposia on reconstituting the completion of a review late in the year, the vice- Constitution, with the new Zealand Centre for Chancellor confirmed that the School had an Public law; on retirement incomes, with the important role to play in helping the university’s retirement Commission; and on the lessons to be engagement with the public sector and in fulfilling learned from the debate on the mining of the its role as a capital city university. Conservation Estate. a number of research The value of a School of Government that could projects were undertaken as part of the Emerging challenge government thinking on difficult issues issues Programme, funded by a range of was also emphasised by the deputy Prime government agencies and managed via the State Minister, the Hon. Bill English, in his address to Services Commission. the School’s anniversary celebration in november, There were a number of staff changes during the at which he also presented the Prime Minister’s year. academic staff members dr russell Harding, prizes in Public Policy, Public Management and associate Professor Jim veitch, and Cath wallace Strategic Studies. left during the year, as did Mara robertson of the a key feature of the School’s mission is to raise professional staff. arrivals included Professor rob capability in the public sector. Much of this work ayson (director of the Centre for Strategic has traditionally been done through the post- Studies), dr. Michael di Francesco, associate experience Master’s programmes – Master of Professor Graham Hassall and professorial staff Public Policy, Master of Public Management and member liz Thomas. Professor Terry Stokes, Head Master of Strategic Studies – as well as through of School, resigned in June; the position will be short courses focused on professional education. advertised in the new Year. dr Chris Eichbaum was promoted to reader/associate Professor. These will continue, and the School has now received approval through a peer-review process i would like to thank the staff their commitment involving all new Zealand universities, to offer a and contribution to the School; members of the doctor of Government (dGov) degree which will advisory Board for advice and assistance; and combine taught courses with a major research stakeholders within and beyond the university. project related to a candidate’s professional The new Year brings on-going challenges. we are experience. operating in a difficult financial environment The dGov is the first degree of its kind to be arising from international conditions, the impact offered in new Zealand; “named” or professional of natural disasters on the national economy, and doctorates are an increasing feature of the tertiary major changes and financial constraints occurring education scene and, in this regard, the School of within the public sector generally and tertiary Government is at the cutting edge of the field.