Welcome
Welcome from the Head of the School of Government.
Nau mai, haere mai, ki Te Kura Kāwanatanga! Welcome to the School of Government!
Schools of Government are not that common. There are even fewer like ours; embodied in a capital city, holding strong relationships with and proximate to the country’s public service, combining different traditions and distinctive governance perspectives – notably here of course tikanga Māori and Pasifika ways of working and governing.
I am proud to be leading an organization that shapes public sector capability for the future and addresses the wicked issues requiring new thinking and new ways of working - environment, democracy, digital government and AI, risk, diversity, ethics, public spending, public infrastructure, and so much more.
We help turn policy ideas into institutional practice, influence government agencies (through education and advice), embed reform (via upskilling professionals) and we translate research into actionable government reform. We influence how people think about policy, evidence and implementation through our scholarship, teaching, and advisory work.
It is a privilege and a responsibility to be here. We are a robust research organisation with strongly committed internationally connected scholars; consistently putting Aotearoa on the map of global academic research. Our professional staff are highly skilled and are key members of the team.
As a group we are a key part of the public sector ecosystem, and from our proximity at Rutherford House to the central institutions of the state, students and partners benefit from our close relationship and engagement with most public service actors. As part of a faculty that draws on partnership across business and government, we work at the intersection of how the country operates – the nexus of government, business, and society relations.
As the Prime Minister of Canada has recently said: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. The School of Government, as systems thinkers and government facing, will continue to promote good governance and set the conditions for our students to thrive. This is a place that values and promotes evidence informed public policy and public management - we provide the conditions for great teaching and learning, world class research and influential policy advising. Our well-known Master of Public Policy and Master of Public Management connect us with curious learners and leaders from all over the world. Our Major in Public Policy within the Bachelor of Commerce provides students with sought-after knowledge and skills. As part of Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka our participants gain a support system for the rest of their career.
I hope that you reach out to the School of Government and engage with us in our endeavours. You might find a programme you are excited about, have discussions you never imagined, and influence change that you never thought you would.
Ngā mihi nui,
Barbara Allen