Public Policy

Literature and research
NZ government
The legislative process
Research centres
Referencing

Databases | Books | Catalogue searches | Journals

Databases

ABI/INFORM
Use search terms "public policy" or "policy making" in the Subject heading field.
AGIS Plus Text
Australian and New Zealand law journals. Use search term "social policy".
APA-FT (Australian Public Affairs Full Text)
Covers some New Zealand content.
EconLit
An index of international economics literature, providing access to journal artices, dissertations, and working papers.
International Country Risk Guide
Annual ratings for political, financial and economic risk for over 140 countries. Produced by the PRS Group.
MEDLINE
Journal articles in all areas of medicine, including public policy related content.
nzresearch.org.nz
New Zealand research, including theses.
OECD iLibrary
The annual Economic Policy Reforms publication includes a section on New Zealand.
PAIS
Covers political, social, and public policy issues.
ProQuest Research Library
Use search terms "public policy" or "policy making" in the Subject heading field.
ProQuest Social Science Journals
Use search terms "public policy" or "policy making" in the Subject heading field.
RePEc (Research Papers in Economics)
The world's largest online collection of economics research, including working papers and articles, covering many subject areas including public policy.
SAGE Journals
Includes political science and business / economics.
Scopus
Includes key public policy journals.
UN iLibrary
Publications from the United Nations Secretariat, and its funds and programmes.

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Books

A selection of key books include:

Araral, E. (2013). Routledge handbook of public policy. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Cook. L.W. (2001). Looking past the 20th century: A selection of long-term statistical trends that influence and shape public policy in New Zealand. Wellington: Statistics New Zealand.
McGee, D.G. (2017). Parliamentary practice in New Zealand (4th ed.). Auckland: Oratia Books. This is also available online.
Moran, M., Rein, M. & Goodin, R. E. (2010). The Oxford handbook of public policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rowley, C.K. & Schneider, F. (2004). The encyclopedia of public choice. Boston: Kluwer Academic.
Shaw, R. & Eichbaum, C. (2011). Public policy in New Zealand: Institutions, processes and outcomes (3rd ed.). Auckland: Pearson Education.

Catalogue searches

Use the Catalogue to find additional material, including print and online books, theses, and journals, held in the Library.

Subject headings

Subject headings can be a good way of locating highly relevant content. Copy and paste any of these headings into a Catalogue Advanced Search choosing 'in subject' and 'exact phrase' from the drop down menus.

You can also combine a subject heading search with additional keywords, such as New Zealand.

ageism	affirmative action programs	child welfare
children government policy	economic policy	education and state
emigration and immigration	finance, public	fiscal policy
future tertiary education policy	government spending policy	health care reform
health planning	health policy	housing policy
information policy economic aspects	labor policy	Maori government policy
medical policy	Pacific Islanders government policy	pensions
policy sciences	political planning	poverty
public administration decision-making	public health	public policy
public-private sector cooperation	public welfare	responsibility government policy
retirement	retirement income	social indicators
social policy	social prediction	social problems
taxation	transportation and state	welfare economics
welfare state

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Journals

To find a list of journals available through the Library, use the subject headings above and combine with the keyword periodicals.

A selection of public policy journals:

The Cato Journal
Health Policy
Health Policy and Planning
Inside Wellington - a weekly report on NZ parliament, policy, and legislation.
Journal of European Public Policy
Journal of Health Services Research & Policy
Journal of Public Economics
Journal of Public Policy
Journal of Social Policy
New Zealand Population Review
Policy
Policy Quarterly - from the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington
Policy Studies: The Journal of the Policy Studies Institute
Policy Studies Journal
The Review of Policy Research
Social Indicators Research
Social Philosophy & Policy
Social Policy and Society
Social Policy Journal of New Zealand: Te Puna Whakaaro

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Official publications

Journals of the House of Representatives
The Journals are the official record of the proceedings of the House of Representatives, including papers presented to the House, Bills and their progress, members of select committees, and petitions presented.
Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives
Includes annual reports and other reports documenting the work of government departments and public organisations as well as reports of select committees and commissions of inquiry. AtoJs Online contains digitised volumes of the Appendices to the Journals from 1858 onwards. New volumes are added periodically as the digitisation project progresses.
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
Hansard is the official report of parliamentary debates. Includes all speeches. Access to Historical Hansard, 1854-1985, digitized by the Hathi Trust.
Parliamentary Bulletin
Published at the end of each sitting week, the Bulletin contains information about the business of the House and its committees from that week and any prior non-sitting weeks.
Parliamentary Order Paper and questions
New Zealand Gazette
The official Government newspaper.

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Government business

Cabinet Committees
- Guide to Cabinet and Cabinet Committee Processes
- Advice for Writing Cabinet Papers
- Use Google to search for specific Cabinet policy papers.
Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry
For matters of very significant public interest. See the Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, shoulder number H for Royal Commissions content.
- Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy
- Royal Commission on Auckland Governance
Search the archives of the New Zealand Government
Registered political parties of New Zealand

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Ministries and government departments

Ministry websites are an excellent place to find reports and documents on policy and legislation related matters. Identify the organisation relevant to your research topic.

The Hub
Social science research undertaken or commissioned by central government in New Zealand, including Ministries and Crown Entities. Topics cover education, health and wellbeing, crime and justice, economy, families, children and young people.
Consumer Affairs legislation and policy
The Department of Internal Affairs
Including censorship, community development, fire, gaming, identity, local government, and racing.
Ministry for Primary Industries law and policy
Ministry for the Environment
- Climate change and Climate change information, New Zealand
- Marine environment
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- Labour market strategy - workplace and workforce policies
Ministry of Education strategies and policies
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Social Development
- Publications and resources
- Social policy
Ministry of Youth Development resources and reports
State Services Commission
Statutory authority appointed to manage the public service and wider state sector organisations. Includes publications on policy advice.
Treasury

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Advisory committees

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Policy units

Environmental Protection Authority
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Inland Revenue Tax Policy
Policy Project, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (Superu)
Formerly known as the Families Commission. Includes research reports.
NZ On Air strategy and policy publications
Radio Spectrum policy
Reserve Bank of New Zealand Monetary policy

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Local government

Auckland Council policies
Auckland Governance, from the Department of Internal Affairs

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Legislation | Select Committees | Committee progress reports | News from Select Committees

Legislation

The legislative process
How a bill becomes law
All speeches and debates in the Chamber, as well as the daily questions, are recorded in Hansard (see also the Library subscription database Hansard and Historical Hansard dating from 1854). This is a useful source for discussion on legislation and is the official report of parliamentary debates.

See also the detailed New Zealand Legal Resources guide for links to finding bills and acts.

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Select Committees

The select committee forms an integral part of the New Zealand legislative process and is the forum for public input into the parliamentary process.
About Select Committees, including the schedule of meetings. The Schedule of Meetings record when a Select Committee is open to the public. When committees are not hearing evidence, proceedings are not open to the public.
Weekly select committee summaries
Make a submission, plus guidelines for making a submission.

Committee progress reports