To improve the public trust, Parliament needs to invest its own capacities and capabilities to independently and openly perform its inquiry, legislative, scrutiny and representation functions, including by providing meaningful opportunities for the public to contribute.
By restricting the franchise and centralising control of the public service, two government bills risk undermining important democratic institutions in Aotearoa.
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?’
Over the last month, we may well have seen more media attention on deliberative democracy in Aotearoa than in the entirety of 2024
New Zealanders may soon be asked to consider whether we trust our elected Members of Parliament enough to allow them an extra year between elections. Parliament’s Justice Committee is currently considering the two bills that together would make a referendum on this a reality. Trust Democracy’s submissions call for both bills to be withdrawn and attention focused instead on making NZ’s democratic system more robust.
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?’
5.45-8.00pm, Monday 27 January, Lighthouse Cuba
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.
This post notes the frantic start to 2025 and provides summary highlights of Trust Democracy’s 2024.
Following consultation, Keitha Booth, an experienced reviewer of Open Government Partnership national action plans and a Trust Democracy member, is pleased to publish the Independent Results Report for the Taiwan Open Government National Action Plan 2021-2024.
