By Jonathan de Jongh The popular mobile app ‘FaceApp’ has come under fire recently after a media scare alluded to the app being able to collect sensitive information from the phones of its users. Allegedly, the app has the ability to access photos on the phones of its users, even those that were not used… Read More Blog | Saving Face – Social Media, Photos and Privacy Issues Facing New Zealand

By Alfred Kim The future holds exciting prospects with the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Public policy will have to develop accordingly to facilitate this new tool; AI may also become an asset for public policy itself. There is a common misconception that there have been signs of conscience development. Although no one is ruling… Read More Blog | The Implications of Artificial Intelligence in Public Policy

By Ellis Pike In the wake of the horrific Christchurch attacks on the 15th of March that killed 51 people, the government will be looking at introducing new laws that make social media platforms responsible for the content that is posted. Reasons for the Law One of the most horrifying aspects of the tragedy was… Read More Blog | The Speech Coin: Freedom v Hate

By Yi Xin Heng The state’s duty to intervene when situations go awry for children has been imprinted in the nation’s consciousness as early as 1890. However, the same recognition has not been extended to a group who experience abuse at a comparable rate – the elderly.    Apart from experiencing a brief spike in… Read More Blog | Elder Abuse is Left in the Grey

By Jonathan de Jongh Due to continued disagreements and compromises behind the walls of the Beehive, several laws have been stopped in their tracks or have failed to even see the light of day due to party politics. The latest victim is the capital gains tax proposed by the Tax Working Group earlier this year.… Read More Blog | The Policy Graveyard: Where Controversial Laws Come to Die

By Jasper Poole In 2015, the Supreme Court of New Zealand became the unlikely scene of what is perhaps the first of many legal battles regarding the term “climate refugee”. It is this term that may identify one of the largest issues facing the world in the coming years as millions of people flee their… Read More Blog | Climate Refugees: New Zealand’s New Humanitarian Obligations in the 21st Century.

By Paul Simperingham What is the One Billion Trees Programme? The incumbent coalition government has set the goal of planting one billion trees in New Zealand by 2028 [1]. The initiative is led by Te Uru Rakau (Forestry New Zealand) and funded by the Provincial Growth Fund, a three billion dollar fund for investment in… Read More Blog | The One Billion Trees Programme: Demystified

By Matt Fletcher Last December, the Labour-led Government of New Zealand announced its intention to raise the national minimum wage to $17.70 per hour, effective on the 1st of April 2019 [1]. This rise of $1.20 serves as the most substantial minimum wage increase in over three decades, and is the most recent step towards… Read More Blog | The Labour Government’s Minimum Wage Ambitions: A Hindrance or Stimulus for Working-Class Incomes?

The Public Policy Club is looking for dedicated students to join the club as general delegates, content writers or to be a part of our High School Civics team. You will be working alongside various teams and members of the executive committee. We welcome applications from all faculties and year levels. The following positions in… Read More 2019 Delegate Applications Open