Alex Penk
About Alex Penk
Alex leads the work and mission of Maxim Institute, representing our work in public, and speaking and writing about public leadership – a topic he studied during his time as a Visiting Fellow at the McDonald Centre at Oxford University in Trinity Term 2016. His previous study includes a Master of Laws from Cambridge University and degrees in law and science from the University of Auckland.
Most Recent Activity
Political “race to the middle” bereft of vision
By Alex Penk
Who is the real “party of infrastructure”? Is it Labour, who just announced that they’ll spend billions on roads and…
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Leilani Tamu Podcast
In November we launched our 2020 Summer issue of Flint & Steel, our annual magazine that this year explores the…
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Foreign donations small fry compared to Govt spending
By Alex Penk
“Pecunia non olet,” or, for non-latin speakers: money doesn’t stink. It’s been a truism ever since the Roman Emperor Vespasian…
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Government should not allow further overreach from Court
By Alex Penk
The Opposition just rolled out the usual tough-on-crime rhetoric disconnected from evidenced-based solutions, announcing that it’s “time to smash the…
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Alex’s op-ed on End of Life Choice Bill referendum
Alex’s article highlights the decision that MPs will make on Wednesday about the referendum for End of Life Choice Bill….
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Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela Podcast
Earlier this year, we hosted Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela for her first time in New Zealand to speak at our annual…
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Naked politics blocks decent policy-making
By Alex Penk
There’s been a lot of cynicism about the Provincial Growth Fund, and last week Minister Shane Jones went a long…
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MIC 11 | Hate speech vs free speech
Freedom, Responsibility and Public Debate We hosted David Hall, Senior Researcher at The Policy Observatory at AUT and an Associate…
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Choices, consequences, and euthanasia
By Alex Penk
“You see, the reality is that for every choice, there is a consequence.” As the End of Life Choice Bill…
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NZ Herald feature Alex’s column on rage and civility
Alex’s article was printed as guest editorial in the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily post on the…
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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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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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Alex on Checkpoint RNZ speaking on the End Of Life Choice Bill
On June 27, Alex talked to Alex Perrottet on Checkpoint, RNZ about the results of the End of Life Choice Bill’s…
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Alex on the Newshub Nation panel talking End of Life Choice Bill
By Alex Penk
On Saturday, 22 June, Alex appeared on the Newshub Nation panel to respond to the visit of Dr Stefanie Green,…
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Referendums are not the pinnacle of democracy
By Alex Penk
If the most recent polls are right, the cannabis referendum won’t pass. Some will be pleased with this, others frustrated,…
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Alex’s op-ed on the End of Life Choice Bill featured on the Spinoff
By Alex Penk
Alex Penk’s op-ed highlighting flaws of David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill featured on the Spinoff. Read the article: …
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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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Dom Post feature Alex Penk’s op-ed on the End of Life Choice Bill
By Alex Penk
With the End of Life Choice Bill facing its second reading, Alex releases an op-ed printed by The Dominion Post…
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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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