Maxim Institute
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Maxim Institute is a research and public policy think tank based in Auckland, New Zealand. The Institute's work is widely described as conservative and it is perceived by some critics to be a mouthpiece for the conservative or religious right or evangelical Christians.
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[edit] General
The Maxim Institute has strong interests in education, family and welfare issues. They are well known for their opposition to the Prostitution Reform Bill, school zoning, the Civil Union Bill, the Relationships Bill (an omnibus bill), the Supreme Court Bill and the Care of Children Bill, and their support of public participation in New Zealand politics. However, the effectiveness of Maxim's opposition is debatable as the Prostitution Reform, Civil Union, Supreme Court, Care of Children and Relationships Acts have all been passed into law. Maxim's support of public participation in New Zealand politics (see NZ Votes below) has also been accused of attempting to change the way people vote rather than merely increasing voter participation.
They have around 18 staff based in their Auckland office, and also maintained an office in Christchurch until 2005. As University of Auckland sociologist David Craig noted in his recent social history of Mount Roskill, the Institute is headquartered in the former home of Keith Hay, one of the ringleaders of the mid-eighties campaign against New Zealand's Homosexual Law Reform Act.
[edit] History
Maxim Institute was founded on November 12 2001 by Managing Director Greg Fleming (formerly general manager of parenting with confidence) and Director Bruce Logan a former Headmaster, and then Director of the New Zealand Education Development Foundation (NZEDF) in Christchurch. According to the Maxim Institute John Graham (then University of Auckland Chancellor, also played a role in the Institute's founding. The Maxim Institute merged with Bruce Logan's preexisting organisation, the "New Zealand Education Development Foundation."
In 2005 Bruce Logan retired several months after claims of plagiarism were made against him.
[edit] Publications
Maxim Institute has published various books and reports on issues including political correctness, curriculum, amd marriage law[1]. It also formerly published a quarterly journal entitled 'Evidence'. According to Maxim 'Evidence' "explore[d] the critical issues facing New Zealand society today, including education, family and welfare. Evidence provides well researched, thought-provoking commentaries and inspiration for building a free and just New Zealand." As of Issue 15 (Spring 2005), Evidence ceased publication. Bruce Logan was its former editor.
The Institute produces a weekly email called Real Issues, which focuses on "current New Zealand events with an attempt to provide insight into critical issues beyond what is usually presented in the media."
As well as Real Issues, Maxim has also published an ongoing series of educational research reports based on research by Colmar Brunton, called The Parent Factor, related to parental choice in education access, government funding and opposition to centralisation.
[edit] Awards
In 2005, Managing Director Greg Fleming was one of six New Zealanders to receive an Emerging Leader Award from the Sir Peter Blake (yachtsman) Trust.[1]
Maxim Institute has received several international think tank awards from the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. The Templeton Freedom Prizes were awarded for: Institute Excellence (first place), Social Entrepreneurship (second place) and Initiative in Public Relations (second place).[2][3]
In April 2006, Atlas Foundation awarded Maxim Institute's Parent Factor publications as the winner of the Innovative Projects category of the Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award. It should be noted that New Zealand Education Minister Steve Maharey,and the New Zealand Education Institute,had formerly critised the quality of these publications, and alleged that the content of their research was derivative: [4]
[edit] "NZ Votes"
In 2005 the Maxim Institute ran a controversial campaign leading up to the New Zealand general election 2005 called "NZ Votes." The campaign featured a website and 30 debates between electorate candidates around the country (including the now infamous debate in Epsom where Green Party MP Keith Locke promised to walk naked through the streets if ACT party leader Rodney Hide won the seat.)
The Maxim Institute stated that the NZ Votes campaign was "non profit and non partisan[2]" and was a "community service" designed to inform voters about MMP. Critics saw it as an ultimately successful attempt to persuade Christian voters not to vote for Christian political parties such as Christian Heritage New Zealand or Destiny New Zealand.[3]. Moreover political commentator Nicky Hager in his book The Hollow Men reveals that the Maxim Institute had secret meetings with the New Zealand National Party to plan aspects of the NZ Votes campaign (pages 206-211), and that the Maxim Institute was considered by the National Party's strategy committee to be "willing to provide support to its election campaign" (page 19). These allegations have severely undermined the credibility of Maxim's claims to be impartial or non partisan.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Sir Peter Blake Trust. sirpeterblaketrust.org. Retrieved on April 19, 2006.
- ^ Templeton Freedom Prizes. atlasusa.org. Retrieved on April 19, 2006.
- ^ Templeton Freedom Prizes. atlasusa.org. Retrieved on April 19, 2006.
- ^ Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award. atlasusa.org. Retrieved on May 5, 2006.
- David Craig: "Thin Topsoil: Queer Blokes, Moral Modernity and Real Estate Politics in Mount Roskill's Biggest Borough" in Ian Carter, David Craig and Steve Matthewman (ed) Almighty Auckland? Palmerston North: Dunmore Press: 2004: ISBN 0864694520
- Nicky Hager: The Hollow Men : A study in the politics of deception: Craig Potton Publishing, Nelson, NZ; ISBN 1-877333-62-X; 2006
[edit] External links
- www.maxim.org.nz - the Maxim Institute website.
- nzvotes.org - a Maxim Institute website focused on the New Zealand general election, 2005
- www.critic.co.nz - a feature article about the Maxim Institute from the student magazine Critic
