In the run-up to the 2020 election, we worked with other civil society organisations to try and make sure community sector concerns and aspirations after the initial COVID-19 crisis were on the agendas of our political parties.
Category: Educating
This page provides information about educational activities on how democracy could be made to work better by providing an overview of relevant pages and posts.
List of related pages
Charities Act Review
In collaboration with Sue Barker Charities Law, Trust Democracy facilitated the involvement of over 650 people and organisations in the 2019 review of the Charities Act. It appears that this input played a part in the Government’s decision to pause the review and reconsider its direction.
Explore- superseded
An eclectic selection of references to podcasts, books, papers and websites about democracy and ways of fostering inclusion.
Deliberative Engagement: Why, What and How for Local Government
The Review into the Future for Local Government recommends more use of deliberative engagement with the public. This page provides reasons for, and resources on how to organise, public deliberation for New Zealand local authorities.
Explore
An eclectic selection of references to podcasts, books, papers and websites about democracy and ways of fostering inclusion.
List of related posts
Twinkles of democratic hope
Trust Democracy’s Chair, Simon Wright, reflects on 2025 and finds some twinkles of democratic hope.
Deciding Together: The Future of A F Thomas Park – the Home of the Takapuna Golf Course
Trust Democracy committee member, Anna Curnow, shares initial reflections on Auckland Council’s latest deliberative forum, which she facilitated.
A place of firsts: Learning from the Porirua Assembly’s innovations in Treaty-based governance
Globally, citizens assemblies are widely used as an effective way to involve local people in deciding how to address complex issues such as climate change. Despite the repeated failure of standard policy processes, citizens assemblies have only recently made it to New Zealand. Register for this event to find out more about the Porirua Assembly on Climate and its innovations.
More Referenda, Better Democracy?
Watch the video or read the transcript of Associate Professor Matheson Russell speaking to Trust Democracy’s AGM on 12 May 2025 on the topic ‘More Referenda, Better Democracy?’
Media Watch: All eyes on Democracy
Over the last month, we may well have seen more media attention on deliberative democracy in Aotearoa than in the entirety of 2024
Notice of 2025 AGM featuring Matheson Russell
Trust Democracy is pleased to announce that its 2025 Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday 12 May at St Andrew’s on The Terrace, 30 The Terrace, Wellington, and via Zoom, and will feature an address by Associate Professor Matheson Russell on the topic ‘More Referenda, Better Democracy?’
Whither Open Government in New Zealand?
At a U3A Wellington City session on 25 October 2024, Keitha Booth, a Trust Democracy member and international open government reviewer, explored how countries use their Open Government Partnership (OGP) memberships to systematically work with civil society to improve democratic participation, accountability and transparency, including through the use of technology. Now that the NZ Government has decided to remain in the OGP, she suggests ways to reinvigorate NZ’s open government programme based on her independent reviews of four OGP members and Taiwan, thus ensuring that open government in NZ does not continue to wither.
Leveraging Local Government’s Superpower
Trust Democracy Committee member Anna Curnow describes how local government is starting to embrace more deliberative and participatory approaches for its “superpower” of being close to its communities.
Emily Beausoleil speaks to Trust Democracy’s AGM
Watch the video or read the transcript of Dr. Emily Beausoleil speaking to Trust Democracy’s 2024 AGM on whether democracy in settler-colonial societies like ours is a weapon or a tool. Download her presentation slides and access Trust Democracy’s AGM reports, statements and minutes.
The Future of Democracy: John Gastil’s visit to New Zealand
Listen to interviews Prof John Gastil recorded while in New Zealand and find out about the events he presented at on the future of democracy and promising democratic innovations in Auckland and Wellington in June 2024.