Nick Lewis is an economic/political geographer interested in questions to do with agrifood, innovation, and higher education economies. I work with post-structuralist political economy and enactive research methodologies. I am a long-term observer of neoliberal restructuring and the new managerialism in New Zealand.
New Zealand's wine industry has enjoyed a period of rapid growth since the mid-1980s. Th... more New Zealand's wine industry has enjoyed a period of rapid growth since the mid-1980s. This period of growth coincides with the period of trade liberalisation and other neo-liberal reforms to the state that have dominated New Zealand's social economy in the last two ...
This paper aims to foster an explicit geoethical orientation in physical geography. Using example... more This paper aims to foster an explicit geoethical orientation in physical geography. Using examples from Aotearoa New Zealand, we approach the work of physical geography with a set of ethical coordinates derived from our research, arguing that they allow for greater sensitivity in considering what is more-than-human in our research relationships. Working with these ethical co-ordinates lays the political groundwork for thinking and doing physical geography differently in the pursuit of less exploitative social and ecological relations. Our proposition offers new potentials for the practice of geography more generally: opportunities for enactive research encounters, those that perform generative change for a decolonised, post-productivist, physical geography.
This report looks at the reasons for creating the unitary Auckland Council, and asks whether it h... more This report looks at the reasons for creating the unitary Auckland Council, and asks whether it has solved the problems of the old local government structure. The report notes mixed results, with one key goal being met while the other has not. Five years on, the new design is still very much a work in progress. • This report (commissioned by the Committee for Auckland) is an inquiry into the governance of Auckland Council. Governance includes the structure of Council (governing body, Council-Controlled Organisations, the mayor, local boards) and the distribution of duties and decision-making. It examines the location of power but not the personalities of office holders. Getting structures and decision-making rules right makes good outcomes more likely. Structures and rules, however, are not the only determinants of good outcomes; good outcomes also depend on the implementation of decisions and the judgement of people involved in the process. This report has not covered the quality of decision-making or the implementation of decisions and processes. For this reason, some areas of Council activity that are of concern to the public – such as whether the Council is focusing on the right areas of spending or its management of the unitary plan process – are not addressed in this report. This report places the creation of the unitary council in the context of decades of fragmented local government across the region, a lack of coordination with and investment by central government, an infrastructure deficit and a rapidly growing and changing population
The Palgrave Handbook of Asia Pacific Higher Education, 2016
Until 1961, there was only one university in New Zealand, the University of New Zealand, which op... more Until 1961, there was only one university in New Zealand, the University of New Zealand, which operated as a nationwide authority for examining and granting degrees. Established by an Act of Parliament in 1870 under authority of Her Majesty’s Government in Britain, the University of New Zealand reflected the strong colonial linkages that dominated the early era of higher education in New Zealand. The University operated in a federalist manner akin to the University of London, with colleges established in Otago (1869), Canterbury (1873), Auckland (1883), Wellington (1899), and Palmerston North (1928). In 1960, the University of New Zealand was disestablished and Acts of Parliament decreed the establishment of the colleges as independent universities. In the decades that followed, another three universities were established—University of Waikato in 1964, Lincoln University in 1990, and Auckland University of Technology (AUT) in 2000.
New Zealand's wine industry has enjoyed a period of rapid growth since the mid-1980s. Th... more New Zealand's wine industry has enjoyed a period of rapid growth since the mid-1980s. This period of growth coincides with the period of trade liberalisation and other neo-liberal reforms to the state that have dominated New Zealand's social economy in the last two ...
This paper aims to foster an explicit geoethical orientation in physical geography. Using example... more This paper aims to foster an explicit geoethical orientation in physical geography. Using examples from Aotearoa New Zealand, we approach the work of physical geography with a set of ethical coordinates derived from our research, arguing that they allow for greater sensitivity in considering what is more-than-human in our research relationships. Working with these ethical co-ordinates lays the political groundwork for thinking and doing physical geography differently in the pursuit of less exploitative social and ecological relations. Our proposition offers new potentials for the practice of geography more generally: opportunities for enactive research encounters, those that perform generative change for a decolonised, post-productivist, physical geography.
This report looks at the reasons for creating the unitary Auckland Council, and asks whether it h... more This report looks at the reasons for creating the unitary Auckland Council, and asks whether it has solved the problems of the old local government structure. The report notes mixed results, with one key goal being met while the other has not. Five years on, the new design is still very much a work in progress. • This report (commissioned by the Committee for Auckland) is an inquiry into the governance of Auckland Council. Governance includes the structure of Council (governing body, Council-Controlled Organisations, the mayor, local boards) and the distribution of duties and decision-making. It examines the location of power but not the personalities of office holders. Getting structures and decision-making rules right makes good outcomes more likely. Structures and rules, however, are not the only determinants of good outcomes; good outcomes also depend on the implementation of decisions and the judgement of people involved in the process. This report has not covered the quality of decision-making or the implementation of decisions and processes. For this reason, some areas of Council activity that are of concern to the public – such as whether the Council is focusing on the right areas of spending or its management of the unitary plan process – are not addressed in this report. This report places the creation of the unitary council in the context of decades of fragmented local government across the region, a lack of coordination with and investment by central government, an infrastructure deficit and a rapidly growing and changing population
The Palgrave Handbook of Asia Pacific Higher Education, 2016
Until 1961, there was only one university in New Zealand, the University of New Zealand, which op... more Until 1961, there was only one university in New Zealand, the University of New Zealand, which operated as a nationwide authority for examining and granting degrees. Established by an Act of Parliament in 1870 under authority of Her Majesty’s Government in Britain, the University of New Zealand reflected the strong colonial linkages that dominated the early era of higher education in New Zealand. The University operated in a federalist manner akin to the University of London, with colleges established in Otago (1869), Canterbury (1873), Auckland (1883), Wellington (1899), and Palmerston North (1928). In 1960, the University of New Zealand was disestablished and Acts of Parliament decreed the establishment of the colleges as independent universities. In the decades that followed, another three universities were established—University of Waikato in 1964, Lincoln University in 1990, and Auckland University of Technology (AUT) in 2000.
Uploads
Papers by Nick Lewis