Political management

Policy analyst Luke Malpass, who is based in Sydney where he works for the Centre for Independent Studies, claims that New Zealand is in the midst of a “great regression” though “once a beacon to the Western world for classical liberal reform.” He lists three major factors which have affected the impetus for liberal reform in New Zealand. Firstly, “the pace of the original reforms” initiated by Roger Douglas and Ruth Richardson; secondly, “nine years of Clark Labour government; and thirdly, the fact that “reform goes against the natural conservatism of New Zealanders.” “All these factors have combined to stall reform with no signs of kicking off again,” Malpass writes. “Government in New Zealand is ticking along in very much the same way it always has — as a managerial government. The only substantive difference between this government and previous ones is who manages government better, rather than what ideology it holds.”