Society
About Society
What are the conditions that will make New Zealand the kind of nation we want to pass on to our children? We regularly research and provide commentary on timely issues that we believe must be addressed to ensure a sustainable future for our families, our communities, and our way of life.
Most Recent Activity
Current poverty | poverty within lifetimes
By Kieran Madden
Risk factors and trigger events What causes poverty for families today differs from what causes poverty across generations. Causes of…
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Causation and income dynamics of people in disadvantage
By Kieran Madden
CAUSATION The surveys above asked the question, “What causes poverty?” But before we, as researchers and policy makers, can answer…
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Uncovering pathways into and out of disadvantage in New Zealand
By Kieran Madden
INTRODUCTION Families in poverty face significant challenges and disadvantages that are likely to have scarring effects long into their children’s…
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Beware the cult of youth
By Danielle van Dalen
To get a vision of what society values, take a look at a magazine stand. Looking across the cover images…
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Policy for the people, with the people
By Kieran Madden
While reading about a promising new policy initiative by a bright-eyed non-profit organisation, I did a double-take when I read…
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Census success needs all of us
By Danielle van Dalen
Imagine if you could influence funding for the healthcare you receive, or for the schools your children attend, with just…
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Maxim Institute’s Submission to the Abortion Legislation Bill
By Danielle van Dalen
This submission was prepared by Danielle van Dalen, Gael Goulter and Jessie Duffin in response to the Parliamentary Select Committee’s…
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Removing rage from our public debates
By Alex Penk
Rage against the machine. Stick it to the man. If you’re not for us, you’re against us. They’re familiar sayings,…
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“Adulting” is only hard without community
By Danielle van Dalen
Growing up can be tough. But last month the British Government took cushioning the blow to new extremes when they…
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Black Caps offer leadership lessons even in loss
By Alex Penk
Big moments reveal who we really are, and they don’t come much bigger than a World Cup final, especially when you’ve lost in controversial circumstances.
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Don’t turn away
By Kieran Madden
“Our noses were almost touching…we were breathing the same air.” These are the words of Marcia Khoza, whose mother was…
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Future of End of Life Choice Bill more murky than ever
By Danielle van Dalen
The End of Life Choice Bill passed its Second Reading in Parliament last week with 70 votes in favour and…
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Government needs to give answers on “wellbeing”
By Alex Penk
This week the Government will unveil the first-ever Wellbeing Budget, somewhat breathlessly described by the New York Times as “New…
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Creating poverty-busting opportunites that work for people with disabilities
By Alex Penk
by Alex Penk and Danielle van Dalen This week there’s been a lot of coverage about employment opportunities for people…
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Creating better opportunities for work
By Danielle van Dalen
New Zealand is in the middle of a national conversation on poverty, and yet, despite being over-represented in the poverty…
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Policy Paper: Creating Opportunity
By Danielle van Dalen
People with disabilities are overlooked in the national conversation on poverty and overrepresented in New Zealand’s poverty statistics. They face…
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Making New Zealand “sexy”
By Julian Wood
In contrast with our apparently “sexy” accent, New Zealand is struggling when it comes to being attractive as a long-term…
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Raising resilient children through healthy relationships
By Kieran Madden
When we hear of the overwhelming, and often heart-breaking challenges that some families face it can be easy to feel…
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MEDIA RELEASE | End of Life Choice Bill report highlights multitude of “concerns and contradictions”
By Alex Penk
Released today, the Justice Select Committee’s report does not recommend passing the End of Life Choice Bill. Instead, it highlights…
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Hate-speech review risks being too hasty
By Alex Penk
The Justice Minister put the cart before the horse when he spoke about hate speech recently. In the shadow of…
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