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The three visiting Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellows in Public Policy for 2007 reported their research findings at a free public seminar today to launch the published reports produced during their six month placements at New Zealand government agencies.
American policy analysts Fiona Alexander, Ann Morse and Matt Nice were this year’s participants in the Ian Axford Fellowships programme, which was established by the New Zealand government in 1995 to facilitate public policy dialogue between New Zealand and the United States, and is funded by various New Zealand government agencies. Fiona Alexander, a Senior Telecommunications Policy Specialist for the US Department of Commerce was placed at the Ministry of Economic Development, where she compared the different approaches of New Zealand and the US to meeting shared objectives for the information and communication technology (ICT) sector - for greater competition and investment, and better services for customers. She identifies the need for a forward-thinking and flexible policy approach to regulating the convergence of telecommunications and broadcasting platforms, and recommends better coordination between these two traditionally distinct government portfolios in New Zealand. Ann Morse, Director of the Immigrant Policy Project at the National Conference of State Legislatures was placed at the Department of Labour, where she compared approaches to welcoming and settling new immigrants to New Zealand and the US, which are similar but both under constant reform. She noted New Zealand’s greater preference for skilled migrants, and that New Zealand’s experience with a points-based scheme might provide lessons to the US, where a similar scheme was proposed in 2007 but failed to gain support from the Senate. She also identified successful integration programmes in both countries, which are among the few in the world to have formal refugee resettlement programmes. Matt Nice, a Principal Analyst at the Multnomah County Department of County Management was placed at New Zealand Police, where he compared policies and outcomes of methamphetamine control in New Zealand and his home state of Oregon. His report notes the rapid growth of a methamphetamine (“P”)
market in New Zealand in the seven years to 2003, when a national Methamphetamine
Action Plan was adopted. The following years have seen a marked increase
in Police and Customs seizures and apprehensions, however the market availability
and purity of the drug has not been diminished. The author’s recommendations
include creating a national drug monitoring programme, adopting drug market
availability outcome measures, improving prosecution outcomes and developing
the infrastructure to force drug offenders into appropriate mandatory
treatment. ENDS
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