Roundtable, NZ Institute to merge
Organisations' combined resources could give stronger public policy voice.
Monday, December 19 2011 || News || BY Business Day
In a joint statement, Business Roundtable chairman Roger Partridge and New Zealand Institute chairman Tony Carter said discussions between the two think tanks had begun in February.
However that was put on hold in September due to the declining health of late roundable executive director Roger Kerr.
The chairmen said their organisations shared common missions and by combining resources they could provide a stronger voice on public policy issues.
The new organisation will promote social, economic and environmental policy with a view to improving the standards of living and welfare of all New Zealanders, they said.
"Our view is that the New Zealand business sector is not large enough to support two separate, independent, CEO-based public policy think tanks, and we see many synergies between the two organisations.
"Both the Business Roundtable and the Institute comprise primarily chief executives of major New Zealand firms and some are members of both organisations.
"While there have been some different emphases in the past, we both share a vision of a competitive, open and dynamic economy, a flourishing business sector and a free, prosperous, fair and cohesive society."
The merger will take from April 1 next year.
The new organisation is undertaking an international search for an executive director. It will have offices in both Wellington and Auckland, and its name has yet to be decided.
I am very surprised - shocked, even - by this announcement. The New Zealand Institute is widely acknowledged as one of the most credible, respected and non-partisan think-tanks in this country, and as such I can not understand why it would want to have any sort of formal association with the Business Roundtable, let alone merge with it. You only have to look at their respective member lists to see that they are entirely different organisations serving entirely different constituents. This smacks of the Business Roundtable trying to 'buy' credibility it is unable to earn for itself, but the irony of course is that with this announcement, the New Zealand Institute has just signed the death warrant for its own credibility. It has done irreparable damage to what was a very strong brand and I fail to see any upside whatsoever resulting from this merger.
Posted by Anonymous at 02:10 on December 19, 2011
NOT A GOOD IDEA.....................
PEOPLE LOOK TO NZIER for honest comments and research on current political issues eg NZ Super the Welfare State etc.
NOW WE WONT GET UNBIASED research reports etc.
Posted by Anonymous at 08:54 on January 11, 2012
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