Inspired beginnings
Maxim Institute was born out of a desire to help build a better future for all New Zealanders. Several catalysts lead to its establishment. Early in 2001, John Graham, then Auckland University Chancellor, convened a meeting of several New Zealanders who shared a common concern for the future of New Zealand. They questioned many of the ideas which had shaped culture and government policy over recent decades and met to consider how best to respond. Among them were Greg Fleming, then General Manager of Parenting with Confidence, and Bruce Logan, a former Headmaster, and then Director of the New Zealand Education Development Foundation (NZEDF) in Christchurch. During his work helping parents and strengthening families, Greg had become increasingly aware of the impact of public policy on families and saw the need for an effective and well researched voice to balance the public policy debate. On one occasion, John challenged Greg, asking him what he was doing to shape the future of New Zealand. Not one to resist a challenge, Greg founded Maxim Institute together with Bruce Logan on 12 November, 2001.
The early days
Bruce Logan, and his long-time executive assistant Denise Gardiner, continued to operate out of the former NZEDF office in Christchurch, and were joined by researcher and writer Michael Reid. Meanwhile, Greg set up the Auckland office in an Onehunga playroom with experienced marketer Jenny Horst. Scott McMurray was recruited to direct Maxim Institute’s communications, and quickly outgrowing the playroom, the team moved into new premises set in the stunning surroundings of Cape Horn. They converted the three bedroom home, still sporting original wallpaper and carpet from the 1970s, into a functioning office. They painted and re-carpeted, purchased three desks, three chairs, three bins and a coffee plunger, added a photocopier and were ready for action.
Growing impact
Since its inception, Maxim Institute has risen to become an influential contributor to New Zealand’s public policy debate. The Institute has undertaken comprehensive analysis and made innovative recommendations to select committees and policy-makers on a range of issues including: schooling and the NCEA; the establishment of the Families Commission; prostitution law reform; the inquiry into ‘hate speech’; electoral issues; the formation of civil unions and changes to relationship law; victims’ rights; probationary employment; parental authority; and New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements.
Maxim Institute has published several publications including: The Erosion of Marriage, In Harm’s Way, Kids Adrift, Vying for our Children and Political Correctness and the Theoretical Struggle.
For more information, or to order your copy, please visit publications.
Highlights
Some highlights from Maxim Institute’s first five years include:
- Speaking about Maxim Institute’s work and vision. During the early days, Greg and Bruce received many invitations to talk about their motivation for establishing Maxim Institute, what they hoped to accomplish and how the New Zealand public could support the work and vision. The Maxim team still regularly speak at events throughout New Zealand.
- Launching an inaugural essay competition and summer internship programme. To challenge and inspire tomorrow’s leaders, Maxim Institute ran its first essay competition in 2002, and that November, four young interns spent their summer working with, and being mentored by, Maxim Institute staff in both Auckland and Christchurch. The essay competition and summer internship programme are now an annual highlight in Maxim Institute’s calendar, and the number of young leaders taking part is growing. In addition to this Maxim Institute is now running a nine month residential internship programme.
- Challenging policy-makers with parents’ views on schooling. In 2005-2006, Maxim Institute released the 'Parent Factor' series of education policy reports featuring ground breaking research about what parents think of schooling in New Zealand. Each report examined how the current education system compared with parental views, profiled workable policy models from overseas and made several policy recommendations. The reports received extensive media coverage and challenged policy-makers with the fact that parents want greater freedom and choice in education.
- Holding national forums to spark debate. Maxim’s first national forum, ‘In search of Civil Society’, was held in March 2003. Maxim Institute gathered national and international speakers to unpack ‘Civil Society’ and consider how the community might be reinvigorated in New Zealand. In March 2004, Maxim Institute’s forum, ‘Political correctness: End of an error’, kick-started a long-overdue public debate on how political correctness threatens freedom of thought and expression in New Zealand. Featuring international and local experts, as well as leaders and MPs from several political parties, the forum made prime-time news and strengthened the momentum for change. Maxim Institute's most recent forum was the Social Justice Forum which took place in March 2007 and brought together leaders from the political sphere, the judiciary, the business world, academia and the community to consider and discuss how we can best work for social justice in New Zealand.
- Publishing Evidence. Maxim Institute’s quarterly journal Evidence, edited by Bruce Logan, took a closer look at policy and culture in New Zealand and offered much food for thought. The final edition of Evidence was published in the spring of 2005.
- Campaigning for workable law change. Maxim Institute undertook research and legal analysis and made submissions on a number of proposed law changes. Maxim Institute devised positive alternatives to the Prostitution Reform Bill and the Civil Union and Relationships Bill and made an influential submission on the inquiry into ‘hate speech’.
- Informing voters for the 2005 general election. Maxim Institute sought to help New Zealanders cast a more informed vote at the 2005 general election and ignite grass-roots interest in democracy. We developed an innovative website www.nzvotes.org which received over half a million page views and a multimedia resource explaining MMP. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, we organised a series of 29 political forums around New Zealand, enabling voters, MPs and candidates to engage with each other.
Recognition and acclaim
In July 2005, Managing Director, Greg Fleming, was one of only six New Zealanders to receive a Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award from the Sir Peter Blake Trust for his outstanding leadership. Also in 2005, the US-based Atlas Economic Research Foundation awarded Maxim Institute three Templeton Freedom Prizes, for: Institute Excellence (1st place) Social Entrepreneurship (2nd place) and Initiative in Public Relations (2nd place).
Then in 2006, The Parent Factor series was announced the winner of the Innovative Projects category of the Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Awards, ahead of nominations from 70 think tanks around the world. In addition, Maxim Institute has received hundreds of letters from New Zealanders, letting us know how the Institute has helped them engage with the political process and become better informed on important issues. We appreciate hearing from our supporters, who share our belief in the future of our country.
Changing of the guard
During 2004 and 2005 Maxim Institute grew rapidly and saw a number of new employees join the team. In December 2005, having seen Maxim Institute successfully established, Bruce Logan retired from Maxim Institute. With Bruce's retirement, the Christchurch office was closed and publication of Evidence ceased. Greg Fleming now leads the team at Maxim Institute which is based in its office. The team looks forward to writing the next chapter in the story.
