15 August 12
With the New Zealand constitution up for review it's a good time to be asking how power is limited and who should have final say on our laws. Internationally acclaimed legal philosopher Professor Robert George gives this year's lecture.+ more
08 August 12
Internationally renowned Princeton University lecturer Professor Robert George will give Maxim Institute’s Annual Sir John Graham Lecture this year. Professor George is an acclaimed author and speaker on the subject of democracy and legal philosophy, and his visit will be timely given the current review of New Zealand’s constitution.+ more
20 April 12
At the 2011 election in November, voters will get the chance to vote in a referendum on whether New Zealand will keep its Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system. Voters will also get the chance to decide which voting system they would prefer if we do not keep MMP, out of four possible alternatives. If a majority of voters decide that MMP ought to be kept, then parliament has said that there will be a review of MMP to find ways of improving it. The referendum is an opportunity to "kick the tyres on MMP," and see whether it should be kept or whether the voting system should change.+ more
05 April 12
The Electoral Commission is currently looking at ways to improve our MMP voting system. Maxim Institute has joined thousands of others in making a submission regarding ways that MMP could be strengthened to improve the legitimacy of the outcomes it produces and to heighten the accountability of MPs to the public.+ more
29 March 12
Reviewing New Zealand's constitution raises some big questions. Is our constitution just a collection of disparate scraps of paper? Do we have a constitution at all? What is a constitution for? How do we go about changing it if we decide that is necessary? These and other questions were addressed in free public lectures by University of Auckland Senior Lecturer and Maxim Institute Research Fellow, Dr Richard Ekins. + more