Seminars

Open Day 2026 - Safeguarding Democracy

Safeguarding democracy globally and locally

Speaker: Jonathan Boston

Date: Saturday 28th February 9.30am-1pm

Venue: Waikanae Baptist Church Hall, 286 Te Moana Road, Waikanae

FREE event but registration is essential

Dr Jonathan Boston ONZM is Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and has been the Director of the Institute of Policy Studies and the Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies. His research interests include governance, public management, child poverty, the welfare state and climate change policy. He has served on many government advisory bodies and NGO boards.

Jonathan will explore the nature of current threats to democratic values, processes and institutions, ponder alternative scenarios (both globally and locally), and consider the options for defending fundamental human rights and enhancing the resilience of democratic governance. Humanity faces an unprecedented global polycrisis, with multiple existential threats. Compounding matters, growing political polarisation in many countries is undermining political stability and democratic governance.

Today, there are more autocracies than democracies, and the drift towards autocratic modes of governance is gathering pace in many long-standing democracies. The need for global collaboration to tackle shared policy issues is urgent. At the same time, the rules-based international system is being weakened, and key multilateral institutions are facing threats to both their legitimacy and effectiveness.

Register by 23rd February