The Public Policy is opening Executive Committee positions for 2020! We are looking for passionate and self-led students to be a part of our team during a critical election year. In this role, you can work with other PPC team members to create content, competitions or events that increase youth engagement with public policy. You… Read More Apply to be in the Public Policy Club Exec for 2020!
By Yi Xin Heng Healthcare remains a perennial concern of New Zealanders, which is why the local elections for District Health Board (DHB) candidates should be closely watched. Candidates will be competing against a backdrop of mounting dissatisfaction expressed by both DHB employees and the public. In 2018, for instance, 30,000 nurses were involved in… Read More Blog | Local Election Watch 2019: Electing the Leaders of Our Healthcare System
By Paul Simperingham Voter turnout for local elections in New Zealand has been falling since the 1980s, with the 2019 Auckland race set to be the lowest in our city’s history. From 1989 to 2016, mayoral turnout has gone from 57% to 42%, and council voter turnout has fallen from 56% to 43% [1]. Meanwhile,… Read More Blog | Local Election Watch 2019: Declining Voter Turnout – Causes and Solutions
By Jonathan de Jongh With voting papers now out, the local elections offer important decisions regarding local government for the coming few years. Auckland is currently facing issues regarding transport, housing, the environment, and social policy. It is the Council’s role, along with its members and civil servants to implement strategies that help better the Auckland… Read More Blog | Local Election Watch 2019: The Role of Mayor
By Alfred Kim Auckland Council’s Pre-Election Report stated that “there’s more that could be done; the challenge [of protecting our natural environment] is to decide what should be done and how.”[1] This article will highlight the solutions that mayoral candidates have for this challenge. For further information on these environmental policies and more, you can get… Read More Blog | Local Election Watch 2019: Protecting the Natural Environment
By Ellis Pike So, you’re enrolled to vote in the local elections? For most people, probably not, and for those who are, you might not know what’s going on. This article will outline the key things to know and the websites to visit to best use your vote. The first step when looking into the… Read More Blog | Local Election Watch 2019: The ABC’s of the Auckland Race
By Paul Simperingham Recently, Paul Simperingham of the Public Policy Club’s content team sat down with three of the University of Auckland’s most prominent economists to discuss pressing policy matters in New Zealand and around the globe today. Meet the Economists Dr Asha Sundaram is a senior lecturer in the University of Auckland’s Economics Department,… Read More Blog | Auckland’s Economists on New Zealand: Policy Problems, Solutions, and Misconceptions
By Alfred Kim The New Zealand Government proposed a new approach to the Budget on 30 May 2019: one that aims to instil hope for better “living standards over the long-term,” by providing support for the “many possible definitions of wellbeing.” This purpose of this article is to make sense of how the Government plans… Read More Blog | Wellbeing Budget 2019: The Five Priorities
By Yi Xin Heng When asked to identify the biggest existential threat to the United States, four candidates in the first night of the US Democratic Debate firmly uttered “climate change”.[1] Such recognition is no surprise at a time when local councils have been declaring climate emergencies, Europe is hit by searing temperatures and the… Read More Blog | Three Environmental Policies to Watch
By Ellis Pike The End of Life Choice Bill is a private member’s bill introduced by ACT Party leader David Seymour in 2017. It passed its second reading on the 26th of June and is now before the Whole House Committee for review. Considering the controversial nature of this Bill, this article will clarify its… Read More Blog | The End of Life Choice Bill and Euthanasia
