Review Article: New Public Management in New Zealand: The Past, Present and Future of the Great Experiment

Abstract

Almost three decades ago, the world of Public Policy and Administration (PPA) was rocked by New Public Management (NPM), a liberal gospel advocating the application of business administration models to the management of public services in lieu of the old 'monolithic' and hierarchical neo-weberian ideal type. But nowhere than in the 'Land of the Long White Cloud' did NPM find a more fertile ground. Praised and flaunted around the world by the Bretton Woods Institutions, the country became the 'Land of New Public Management' and a site of pilgrimage for government practitioners seeking advice. This review article offers an overview of the reform programme from its inception in the mid-1980s till date by analyzing four books that offer an in-depth account but were published at different time-distances. The books are reviewed along four dimensions: policy change, policy content, policy outcomes and future trends.