Research institutes, centres, and professorial chairs

Specialised research units have been established in the School of Government to provide quality business-related studies.

Research clusters at the School of Government

Institute for Governance and Policy Studies (IGPS)

The Institute for Governance and Policy Studies fosters discussion, research, and publication of current domestic and foreign policy issues. It aims to link academic research and public policy by providing opportunities for independent and detached study, and for neutral and informed discussion of important and relevant issues.

The goal of the IGPS is to engage the broadest possible range of informed opinion, particularly in drawing people together from the universities, the public service, the business community, and the wider public community.

Visit the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies website.

Chair in Digital Government

Professor Miriam Lips was the first Chair in Digital Government. The Chair was funded by the Department of Internal Affairs, Inland Revenue Department, and the Ministry of Education.

The research programme of the Chair in Digital Government concentrated on the introduction, management, and use of digital technologies in the public sector and their external relationships with society. The Chair also explored the managerial, governmental, democratic, social, and ethical implications of these technologies.

Research topics included: digital inclusion; digital transformation; digital engagement; identity, privacy and security; governance and transparency; benefits realisation; managing digital government initiatives; access to government and digital inclusion; big data, algorithms, data analysis and changes in public policy; joined-up government and information sharing; collaborative governance; public data management and  open government; management of electronic public records; digital democracy.

Visit the Chair in Digital Government website.

Chair in Regulatory Practice

Professor Jeroen van der Heijden is the inaugural holder of the Chair in Regulatory Practice. The Chair was established in May 2017 with sponsorship from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, the Government Regulatory Practice Initiative (G-REG), and the NZ Treasury.

The primary roles of the Chair are to undertake research on regulatory practice and regulatory stewardship to help improve regulation in New Zealand and elsewhere and its impacts on economic and social performance. The Chair actively engages with the G-REG community in New Zealand and related communities elsewhere, and contributes to the training of those involved in regulatory issues. The Chair defines regulation broadly as the institutions, processes, and instruments in place to steer behaviour towards desirable societal ends.

Professor van der Heijden works at the intersection of regulation and governance and has a specific interest in regulatory stewardship and dynamic governance regimes.

Read more about the Chair in Regulatory Practice.

Te Ngāpara Centre for Restorative Practice

Te Ngāpara Centre for Restorative Practice provides a focus for collaborative research and teaching on restorative justice theories, policies and practices. The inaugural Chair is Professor Chris Marshall, who is internationally acclaimed for his pioneering work in the restorative justice arena, and a qualified restorative justice facilitator and trainer.

Objectives for the Te Ngāpara Centre for Restorative Practice include undertaking interdisciplinary research, contributing to public policy discussions, forging national and international collaborations, offering professional development opportunities for practitioners and professionals, and providing teaching and postgraduate supervision in restorative justice theory and practice at the University.

This Chair is sponsored by the Grace Memorial Trust, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education, Department of Corrections, New Zealand Police, Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand Defence Force, and Accident Compensation Corporation.

Visit the Te Ngāpara Centre for Restorative Practice website.

The Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families and Children

The Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families and Children, Te Pūtahi Rangahau Whānau me ngā Tamariki, aims to conduct rigorous, independent research that informs and translates into evidence-based policy solutions that support families and children in Aotearoa New Zealand. With an interdisciplinary, methodologically rigorous, and data-driven approach, the Centre’s research will focus on pressing issues facing families and children.

Visit the Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families and Children website.