POLS442-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025

Policy and Governance in Small States of New Zealand and the Pacific

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 14 July 2025
End Date: Sunday, 9 November 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 27 July 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 28 September 2025

Description

This course provides an advanced introduction to policy making and governance challenges in small states, with a particular focus on New Zealand and the small states of the Pacific. Students will be introduced to Pacific and New Zealand political economy/development/challenges, building on insights into the cultural capital, opportunities and risks (environmental, social and economic) that these communities face. Through regional case studies of policy development and governance and seminars with practitioners and community leaders, students will also have opportunities to gain experience in locally led problem solving.

This course provides an advanced introduction to policy making and governance challenges in small states: New Zealand and the small states of the Pacific, as case examples.  Students will be introduced to the challenges of making public policy and governance processes in the context of New Zealand and the Pacific’s political economy/development/ challenges, building on insights of the cultural capital, opportunities and risks (environmental, social and economic) that these communities face. Through regional case studies of policy development and governance and seminars with practitioners and community leaders, students will also have opportunities to gain experience in locally led problem solving.  

Course Aims:

This course provides an advanced introduction to policy making and governance challenges in small states, with a particular focus on New Zealand and Fiji amongst 16 small states of the Pacific.    A key feature of this course is the opportunity to compliment insights into small state governance and policy making challenges with opportunities to develop skills of critical thinking, research, presentation, (oral and written) and practical problem solving to equip future policy makers, professionals, development managers, government officials, civil society organization personnel and community leaders, with skills and knowledge. From time to time speakers from NGOs, national and local leaders and community advocates and case studies, simulations and class debates will reinforce professional learning.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course students will have: a consolidated understanding of the key principles of policy making in small states- including an insight into skills of small cross cultural community policy making and analysis; skills in research writing and analysis of policy challenges in Pacific and New Zealand; oral presentation of policy debates and demonstrated critical thinking for public policy and community governance challenges in non-profit and private sectors.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of Department.

Restrictions

POLS402

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 14:00 - 17:00 Rehua 002 Lectorial
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct

Course Coordinators

Bronwyn Hayward and Steven Ratuva

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Research Essay 35% 4,000 words
Final Exam 35%
Critical Reflection 15% 1,200 - 1,500 words (10% written + 5% oral)
Research Seminar 15% 15 minute presentation

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Readings

You are expected to come to class and have read at least one of the recommended readings BEFORE the session so you can actively participate. We draw initially suggest sampling some of these works

Ratuva S. (2019) Aid and Foreign Policy: New Zealand Development Assistance in the Pacific. In Brady A (Ed.), Small States and the Changing Global Order: New Zealand Faces the Future: 55-73. Cham: Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18803-0_4.

Hayward B., Hinge Salili D., Leo Tupuana’i L. and Tualamali’i’ J. (2020) It’s Not “Too Late”. Learning from Small Pacific Island Developing States in a Warming World. WIREs Climate Change 11(1) http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wcc.612

Melane Anae 2020 The Platform: The Radical Legacy of the Polynesian Panthers. BWB

Salesa Damon 2017 Island Time New Zealand's Pacific Futures BWB Wellington
Harris Max The New Zealand Project BWB Wellington

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $2,169.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All POLS442 Occurrences

  • POLS442-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025