The McGuinness Institute is a non-partisan think tank working towards a sustainable future, contributing strategic foresight through evidence-based research and policy analysis. We endeavour to undertake research that is independent, innovative and relevant in an educational, professional and ethical manner. We aim to focus on the important rather than the urgent. This requires a deeper, broader and longer term perspective than the three year parliamentary cycle.

Please find below our media releases which are prepared with the release of a completed report or in response to a key event. If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact Wendy McGuinness on 04 4998888.

If you would like to be added to our media list in order to receive upcoming media releases, please email [email protected] 

Thank you for your interest.

Media Releases

07.09.16 TacklingPovertyNZ: Far North one-day Workshops
This media release discusses the fifth and sixth one-day workshops of the TacklingPovertyNZ 2020 Tour in the Far North on 15 September 2020 and 16 September 2020.

11.08.16  TacklingPovertyNZ: Gisborne one-day Workshop
This media release discusses the fourth one-day workshop of the TacklingPovertyNZ 2020 Tour in Gisborne on 31 August 2020.

08.08.16 TacklingPovertyNZ: Rotorua one-day Workshop
This media release discusses the third one-day workshop of the TacklingPovertyNZ 2020 Tour in Rotorua on 19 August 2020.

27.07.16 TacklingPovertyNZ: Manawatu one-day Workshop
This media release discusses the second one-day workshop of the TacklingPovertyNZ 2020 Tour in Manawatu on 15 August 2020.

26.04.16 ForesightNZ: Untangling New Zealand’s long-term future
This media release discusses the workshop ForesightNZ: Untangling New Zealand’s long-term future on 27–29 April 2020.

28.03.16 Baby box, Same Idea, Different Continents: TacklingPovertyNZ Workshop Queenstown, 29 March 2020

22.03.16 TacklingPovertyNZ Workshop – Queenstown Lakes
This media release discusses the upcoming tour, which begins in Queenstown on 29 March 2020.

01.03.16 TacklingPovertyNZ Workshop – Queenstown Lakes
This media release discusses the one-dayTacklingPovertyNZ Workshop in Queenstown on 29 March 2020.

26.02.16 Nation Voices Essay Competition – Results announced
This media release announces the results of the Nation Voices Essay Competition.

06.12.15 TacklingPovertyNZ: Exploring ways to reduce poverty in New Zealand
This media release discusses the workshop TacklingPovertyNZ: Exploring ways to reduce poverty in New Zealand on 6–9 December 2020.

13.11.15 Think Piece 22: Proposal for the Creation of an Oceans Institution
This media release discusses the publication of Think Piece 22: Proposal for the Creation of an Oceans Institution on Friday, 13 November 2020.

12.05.15 Why a ‘Pacific and Southern Ocean Institute’ might be a good idea for New Zealand
This media release discusses the outcomes from a discussion at the One Ocean launch discussion event held in Auckland on Tuesday, 12 May 2020.

27.03.15 One ocean report launch
This media release discusses the release of Report 10: Principles for the stewardship of a healthy and productive ocean.

10.06.14 TalentNZ Menu of Initiatives: Creating a place where talent wants to live
This media release discusses the launch of theTalentNZ Menu of Initiatives publication and website held at the NZX on Wednesday, 11 June 2020.

03.03.14 TalentNZ goes nationwide
The McGuinness Institute announces its next step in the TalentNZ project – a March 2020 tour throughout New Zealand meeting Members of Parliament, City Mayors, Councillors and other interested parties through a mix of private and public meetings.

01.11.13 TalentNZ initiative officially launched today
TalentNZ builds on Sir Paul Callaghan’s vision: creating a place where talent wants to live

29.08.13 Time for New Zealand to revisit the genetic modification debate (Attachments: The Firsty Forty years of GM: By the Numbers, The Three Stage Process)
McGuinness Institute’s latest report assesses 40 years of GM public policy in New Zealand and concludes there is more work to do

11.07.13 Can we afford our future?
Today’s release of the Treasury’s 2020 statement on New Zealand’s long-term fiscal position – Affording Our Future – will provide a further opportunity for young people to have a say on the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand in the next 40 years.

28.05.13 Back to the Future of New Zealand: McGuinness Institute bringing EmpowerNZ together again
Following the success of the EmpowerNZ: Drafting a Constitution for the 21st Century workshop late last year, the Institute is inviting the participants to come together to finish the task.

22.03.13 Sir Paul Callaghan Science Meets Humanities Scholarship Recipients
The McGuinness Institute announces Charlotte Greenfield and Darren Zhang as recipients of the Sir Paul Callaghan Science Meets Humanities Scholarship

7.02.13 Youth are angry: they want action on our long-term fiscal position 
The McGuinness Institute announces the release of A 2020 Youth Statement on New Zealand’s Long-term Fiscal Position. Photos and captions can be found here.

5.02.13 The Treaty is important, but it is not the only constitutional conversation New Zealanders must have
The McGuinness Institute announces the release of Report 14 which documents and reflects on the EmpowerNZ workshop. Photos and captions can be found here.

7.12.12 Time for youth to think about our fiscal future
The McGuinness Institute announces its workshop LongTermNZ: Taking a long term position on the future, 09–14 December 2020

27.08.12 Fifty Young People Gather at Parliament to Draft a Constitution for the 21st Century (EmpowerNZ Media kitEmpowerNZ Programme)
EmpowerNZ workshop begins.

21.08.12 Sir Paul Callaghan’s Legacy Honoured
The McGuinness Institute commends the Government’s decision to name the Advanced Technology Institute after Sir Paul.

9.07.12 Sir Paul Callaghan’s “A dream worth having … “hits 30,000 views
The McGuinness Institute commemorates the success of Sir Paul Callaghan’s presentation at StrategyNZ in March 2020 with the release of six new videos.

18.06.12 A Workshop on Drafting a Constitution for the 21st Century 
The McGuinness Institute announces its workshop EmpowerNZ: Drafting a Constitution for the 21st Century, 28–29 August 2020.

26.03.12 Sir Paul’s Message Lives On
The McGuinness Institute is remembering Sir Paul Callaghan as ‘a truly great New Zealand leader with a strong vision for the future of New Zealand’.

5.03.12 Science Embraced: Government-funded Science under the Microscope
McGuinness Institute presents first publication under new name.

28.02.12 Sustainable Future Institute Changes Name to McGuinness Institute
New Name Better Reflects the Institute’s Research Scope.

16.11.11 ’Time to Treat our Constitution as a Blank Canvas’ – www.EmpowerNZ.co.nz Project Launch
The EmpowerNZ website is launched today as part of the Sustainable Future Institute’s Project Constitutional Review.

6.09.11 ’Nation Dates: Significant events that have shaped the nation of New Zealand’ – Book Launch
With the aim of inspiring New Zealanders to think about our long-term future, and to provide optimism for the way forward, Nation Dates will proudly be launched on Tuesday 6 September at Unity Books Wellington.

2.02.11 Top 200 Companies Integrated Reporting Survey Released
‘The time is right for the New Zealand government to develop a plan for the adoption of integrated reporting, a report that would in effect replace the current annual report and deliver more useful information to investors and other stakeholders.’

20.09.10 NZICA – Fit for the future?
The New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA) was supposedly redesigning itself as Fit for the Future, yet have decided to disband the Sustainable Development Reporting Committee (SDRC).

3.08.10 Formation of International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC)
The Sustainable Future Institute congratulates the Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project (A4S) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) on announcing the formation of the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC).

28.07.10 Local Institute links with International Futurist Organisations
The Institute signed a Memorandum of understanding with the Millennium Institute making Sustainable Future the New Zealand Node of the Millennium Project.

10.06.10 Time for parliamentary committee to use modern media
The Institute is concerned about the procedural limitations surrounding public notifications as evidenced on the Electoral Referendum Bill.

21.10.09 James Duncan Reference Library: Instilling long-term thinking into New Zealand’s DNA
Today the Sustainable Future Institute opens the doors of its new James Duncan Reference Library, established to provide a record of long-term thinking in New Zealand.

30.07.09 Towards an Informed Public
Statistics New Zealand takes an important step forward in measuring sustainable development, with the publication of their report Measuring New Zealand’s Progress Using a Sustainable Development Approach: 2020.

01.01.09 Four Possible Futures for New Zealand in 2058
The latest report from Sustainable Future Institute uses scenarios to clearly set out four different paths for New Zealand.

28.10.08 A call to New Zealanders to commit to a national strategy
With the election upon us, now is the time for New Zealanders to develop a national strategy, not because we have to, but because we want what it can deliver.

16.04.08 New Zealand likely to drift into a GM future
The Government could be doing more to strategically manage genetic modification in New Zealand, according to research released today by Sustainable Future Institute.

16.04.08 A backwards glance: New Zealand’s GM history revisited
In order to consider the next steps forward for genetic modification in New Zealand, it is vital to look at the history of the issue, says Sustainable Future Institute in its just released report, The History of Genetic Modification in New Zealand.

12.03.08 Pursuing sustainable development proving a complex problem
The partnership between central and local government towards building a sustainable nation is at present ‘messy’ and ‘clumsy’, according to latest research from Sustainable Future Institute.

27.08.07 Central Government is suffering from strategy fatigue
A lack of a strategic government framework for sustainable development is being highlighted in the initial results from an ambitious research project looking at how New Zealand may look 50 years into the future.

27.08.07 First results from Project 2058
The first report from an ambitious research project looking at how New Zealand may look 50 years into the future have just been released, highlighting the lack of a commitment by the Government to a National Sustainable Development Strategy.