McGuinness Institute
MCGUINNESS INSTITUTE MEDIA RELEASE 27 AUGUST 2012
Fifty Young People Gather at Parliament to Draft a Constitution for the 21st Century
EmpowerNZ workshop begins
New Zealand is one of the few countries this century to invite citizens to review their nation’s constitution. To make
the most of this rare opportunity a collection of 50 talented young people selected from throughout New Zealand, and
from a wide range of backgrounds, will convene at Parliament to have their say on the future of New Zealand’s
constitution.
On 28 and 29 August, 50 young people from around the country will work together to look at whether New Zealand needs to
change its constitutional arrangements and, if so, what a new constitution might look like. The workshop EmpowerNZ:
Drafting a Constitution for the 21st Century is being run by the McGuinness Institute – a non-partisan think tank based
in Wellington – and will be hosted at Parliament by MP Paul Goldsmith.
Chief Executive of the McGuinness Institute, Wendy McGuinness, says, ‘The workshop aims to create a space in which young
New Zealanders can explore the future of this country’s constitution and contribute to the current review of
constitutional issues. The purpose is to facilitate a prescription-free exploration, creating an opportunity to treat
the constitution as a blank canvas.
‘I really believe New Zealand is well positioned for the future when I see the quality of the people who are keen to
participate in this workshop,’ McGuinness says. ‘The amazing variety of participants, facilitators and speakers involved
in this event speaks volumes about how committed people are to making the most of this rare opportunity to discuss New
Zealand’s future constitutional arrangements.’
The event will be facilitated by a team of constitutional scholars from around New Zealand, led by Victoria University
Senior Lecturer in Law, Dean Knight. Their role will be to challenge the participants’ ideas and compel them to approach
the task in a novel, yet rigorous, manner. The facilitators will help the participants to achieve consensus and
synthesise ideas in time to produce a draft constitution to present at the conclusion of the event – 48 hours later.
The finale of the event will take place in Parliament on the evening of 29 August. Here, the draft constitution will be
presented to ambassadors, MPs, members of the Constitutional Advisory Panel and other invited guests. Speeches and
presentations at the event will be filmed and made available online, along with other outputs, in the next few weeks.
Participants will attend the workshop free of charge, having agreed to ‘pay it forward’ through committing to 10 hours
of voluntary service over the following 18 months. This will include initiatives to help create greater awareness and
understanding of constitutional issues in New Zealand, and encouraging people to become involved in the review process.
The workshop will feature an impressive line-up of speakers. New Zealand’s ambassador to the United Nations, Jim McLay,
will deliver the keynote address on the morning of the first day. Other speakers will include Emeritus Professor John
Burrows, Mai Chen, Professor Philip Joseph, Dame Dr Claudia Orange and Sir Tipene O’Regan. MPs Charles Chauvel, Peter
Dunne, Te Ururoa Flavell, Paul Goldsmith, and Metiria Turei and will also be speaking to participants.
‘We hope that the long-term outcome will be a wider and deeper discussion of constitutional issues,’ McGuinness says;
‘one that will permeate through youth networks, law schools, universities and those involved with the constitutional
review over the coming 18 months.’
[ENDS]
Event: Workshop – EmpowerNZ: Drafting a Constitution for the 21st Century
Date: Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 August 2012
Location: Parliament’s Banquet Hall in the Beehive
Media Kit: Available at www.empowernz.org
Additional resources: A more detailed timeline and additional resources can be found at www.EmpowerNZ.org
, which is an initiative of the McGuinness Institute www.mcguinnessinstitute.org
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Twitter: The workshop will be live tweeted over the two days from the McGuinness Institute Twitter account @McGInstitute, using
the tag #EmpowerNZ.