New Zealand
New Zealand exhibits high-range performance across three categories of the Global State of Democracy framework: Representation, Rights and Rule of Law. It performs in the mid-range with regard to Participation. It is among the world’s top 25 per cent of performers in all factors except Civic Engagement. Over the last five years, it has experienced no notable shifts in performance levels, with the exception of a decline in Credible Elections. The services industry makes the largest contribution to the economy, with manufacturing, professional, scientific and technical services taking the largest shares.
The country is home to an ethnically-diverse population, with Europeans being the majority and the Maori and Asians and Pacific Islanders making up minority communities. The roots of the indigenous Māori community stem from waves of migration from Tahiti in the 14th century. European settlement occurred in the centuries thereafter. In the 1800s, larger numbers of British migrants arrived, culminating in the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 – the founding document of modern New Zealand - which formed the political agreement between the British Crown and Māori. Although Māori customs and law (‘Tikanga’) have been recognized as part of the common law of the country, one of the key political fractures since the signing of the Treaty has been regarding Crown sovereignty and rangatiratanga (Māori authority over their own affairs); political debates around constitutional transformation in relation to power-sharing have been contentious. Historically low levels of Māori political representation have improved and the overall diversity of Parliament reached a peak after the 2023 elections. Moreover, evidence suggests that racism, discrimination and Islamophobia had become increasingly apparent in the years before the Christchurch terror attack in 2019; this discrimination was also evident in the media.
Another key cleavage has pertained to socio-economic inequalities- the right to adequate housing in particular. Emergency housing has in effect become institutionalized, with families spending significant periods of time in such facilities. Marginalized groups and minorities, including persons with disabilities, Māori and Pacific Islander communities, and low-income families, among others, have also struggled to access healthcare. Moreover, reports have indicated that the conditions of prisons are poor, with more dire conditions for refugees and asylum seekers in immigration detention. In 2017, the country elected Jacinda Ardern, the world’s youngest female prime minister at the time, which was followed by a significant proportion of women in government and positive impacts on Gender Equality. Relatedly, her sudden resignation from the position in 2023 focused attention on the additional pressure that female politicians face in leadership.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch Rights. First, changes to fair pay legislation could impact lower-income earners. Second, recent structural changes to the health sector – most notably the disestablishing of the Māori Health Authority - will have significant impacts on access to health resources, especially for Māori. On the other hand, risks of climate change, including sea-level rise and coastal erosion will have a disproportionate impact on the livelihoods of the Māori community in light of their dependency on primary industries; the government is taking measures to adapt to climate change and mitigate the risks associated with it. Meanwhile, rising national security concerns, including false information online, new counter-terrorism legislation passed subsequent to the Christchurch attack, and a shrinking media industry may have implications for Media Integrity and Freedom of Expression in the long term.
Last Updated: June 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
July 2024
Commission finds epidemic of abuse in care
New Zealand’s Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that nearly 1 in 3 children and adults placed under state care from 1950 to 2019 were subjected to abuse or torture. The report “detailed a litany of abuses in state and faith-based care, including rape, sterilization and electric shocks” and counted about 200,000 victims in the nation of 5.3 million. The report also found that Maori and New Zealanders with disabilities had been more vulnerable to abuse. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon apologized at a press conference on 24 July and promised an official state apology would follow on 12 November. The government promised reforms and plans to make financial redress to victims, which the report estimated would cost the state NZD 217 billion (USD 132 billion).
Report shines spotlight on Maori rights
Experts and legal academics described a July 2024 overview of the ruling coalition’s planned and implemented changes to policies affecting Maori in New Zealand as “chilling”, “dangerous”, and “the worst assault on Māori I’ve seen in my 40-year career.” To date the coalition has disestablished the Maori Health Authority, reduced Maori language use in public authorities, and revoked state support for “Section 27” background reports for offenders undergoing sentencing that were commonly used by Maori defendants. The laws and bills summarized by the Guardian newspaper covered six broad policy areas – health, treaty and language, justice, social and housing and education – that either explicitly or implicitly disproportionately impacted Maori New Zealanders. Maori account for 20 per cent of New Zealand’s population but make up 50 per cent of incarcerated people. Government representatives either declined or did not respond to the Guardian’s requests for comment.
Sources: The Guardian (1), The Guardian (2), Radio New Zealand
June 2024
Government introduces media content law
New Zealand’s ruling coalition has introduced a law that will require digital platform companies like Meta and X (formerly known as Twitter) to pay media outlets for news. The Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill is closely aligned with Australia’s News Media Bargaining Law and would force digital platforms to reach compensation deals with New Zealand media outlets. The bill comes after a long-running media financing crisis in the country that has seen increased media concentration and a significant reduction in the number of working journalists in the country.
Sources: Reuters, International IDEA, Radio New Zealand
April 2024
Media crisis deepens
A years-long crisis in New Zealand’s media industry worsened significantly enough in March and April 2024 that observers are raising concerns over the industry’s ability to adequately inform the public and hold politicians to account. Television and online news company Newshub announced it would shut down on 10 April and lay off nearly 300 staff. With its closure and layoffs elsewhere over the last several months, the country now has only one television news service, the state-owned broadcaster TVNZ – which also reduced its news programming and laid off 60 news journalists in April. While media around the world have struggled to adjust their business models to the internet age, the situation is particularly acute in New Zealand, where the number of working journalists has declined from 4071 in 2000 to 1674 today. Media concentration has become severe, as 78.5 per cent of journalists work for one of five employers. Public relations professionals now outnumber their media counterparts by as much as ten to one, leading one observer to label New Zealand “a public relations democracy” and others to raise concerns over the consequences for freedom of media and expression in the country.
Sources: The Guardian, Radio New Zealand, The Spinoff, New Zealand Herald, The Conversation
November 2023
Anti-smoking measures repealed
New Zealand’s incoming governing coalition surprised observers by announcing plans to abandon a set of anti-smoking laws passed by the previous government in December 2022, as the issue had not been raised during the election campaign. The laws, praised by public health advocates, had included plans to not sell tobacco products to anyone born after 2008, decrease the amount of nicotine in cigarettes, and shrink the number of places where cigarettes were sold by 90 per cent. Finance Minister Nicola Willis told journalists the tax receipts from sales of tobacco products would be used to fund tax cuts. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand, and health experts were concerned about the disproportionate impact on Maori New Zealanders and argued that the costs to the health system from smoking-related illnesses would outpace any increased tax receipts.
Sources: Radio New Zealand, British Broadcasting Corporation
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