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

Active from 1983 to 2023, the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies aimed to lift environmental, social, and economic outcomes for all New Zealanders, via good public policy.

The Institute’s goal was to contribute to improving New Zealanders’ lives. Its researchers engaged with New Zealand’s policy-making process and worked with people to make New Zealand a better place environmentally, socially, and economically.

Find out more about the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies.

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.

Find out more about the Chair in Digital Government.

Chair in Regulatory Practice

The Chair in Regulatory Practice was established in 2017 with sponsorship from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, the Government Regulatory Practice Initiative (G-REG), and the NZ Treasury. It was held by Professor Jeroen van der Heijden from 2018 to 2023, when it was disestablished.

The primary role of the Chair was to undertake research on regulatory practice and regulatory stewardship, with the goal of improving regulation in New Zealand and elsewhere. Research was also conducted on the impacts of regulatory practice on economic and social performance.

Professor van der Heijden worked at the intersection of regulation and governance and had 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.

Find out more about the Te Ngāpara Centre for Restorative Practice.

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 focuses on pressing issues facing families and children.

Find out more about the Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families and Children.