About Fairer - Quest for a Fairer New Zealand

Inequality and unfairness in New Zealand  is increasing.   Some of the evidence may be challenged but few would dispute the direction of travel.

In their 2009 book 'The Spirit Level: why more equal societies almost always do better' Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, using extensive international evidence, drew attention to the close association between rising income inequality and social dysfunction.  Their work has sparked wide and spirited international debate.

In 2013 the New Zealand evidence pertaining to the Wilkinson and Pickett thesis, was published in a book edited by Max Rushbrooke 'Inequality - New Zealand in Crisis'.   Topics included pertain to inequalities in health, education, housing, employment, industry, justice, ethnicity, taxation and welfare.

 In light of the accumulating evidence many New Zealanders,  from across the country and in various ways have voiced their disquiet at  what is  happening. Principal  among them current New Zealander of the Year Dame  Anne  Salmond, in the first Sir  Paul Reeves Memorial Lecture, voiced her  concern about the  rising inequality and  associated unfairness in our country  over the last thirty years.

 The issues raised and evidence presented in these discussions is in the  main complex,  multidimensional, often inter-related and sometimes conflicted –  so called 'wicked  problems'. (see 'wicked problems' in Wikipedia)   Such  problems often involve  competing underlying values, paradoxes and trade-offs  that can be informed by scientific evidence, but can rarely be resolved definitively.

Evidence and advocacy are needed to address problems of inequity and unfairness but alone or in tandem they are not enough.

To address 'wicked problems' the involved stakeholders must engage in open, informed and continuing conversation about the options and ways and means of negotiating the inherent tensions involved in making fair and reasonable adjustment decisions and of achieving the desired collective impact 

A broad range of stakeholders must be part of addressing 'wicked problems' of long term significance and sustainability, including the ability, in real time, to revise and refine solutions as problems emerge and change.

“Wicked problems' by definition cannot be 'solved'.   They are a basic reality of life in a diverse democracy such as ours.

The better the conversation – the better informed, more open, more inclusive and constructive the dialogue -  the stronger, more secure, stable and sustainable  community action is likely to be.

Previous efforts to address inequality and unfairness in our society have been long on evidence and advocacy but short on the open dialogue necessary to find and negotiate innovative, adaptable and generally acceptable ways of addressing issues of inequality and fairness.

On this site we hope to facilitate informed, open and inclusive dialogue in areas where the evidence suggests that increasing inequity and unfairness in our society is leading to social, economic or environmental dysfunction.

We largely have the evidence.  There is no shortage of advocacy.   What we need is the  informed, open and constructive dialogue necessary to find fairer ways forward.

Issues of inequality and fairness are complex, often with many dimensions.   It would not be helpful to try to dialogue on all our 'wicked problems' at once.  On this web-site the intention is to initiate dialogue on significant and timely issues.   We will initiate dialogue on a chosen topic with a brief summary of the relevant evidence.  Then we will then pose a number of topical questions upon which contributions are  invited.

Contributors to the dialogue will be asked to provide registration details.  All contributions will be moderated but only to avoid obscene or offensive material.

The proceedings of the dialogue on each issue will be archived on the site for future reference.

Please join our quest for a fairer New Zealand.