Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, John Key’s chief science advisor has called for better development of teenagers.
Prime Ministers Science Advisory Committee

He also made another release, which in the longer run is far more important.
Evidence and policy formation

He also called for looking for evidence, before instituting new social policies and also when evaluating new social policies which have been newly instituted.

Whilst internationally this idea is several decades old and has been used actively in more careful development of legislation in european countries for over 2 decades, it is still quite novel inside NZ, alas.

Many of NZs economic disasters would have been avoided, if we had been more careful before introducing “innovative” legislation. Examples range from Building Act (leaky buildings), to DPB with the huge increase in solo parenting and the follow on effects of deprived parenting and dangerously behaved children. Another examples is the DV Act and the negligible improvement in women’s and children’s deaths by homicide – actually women’s perpetration of homicide has increased. There have also been increases in men’s suicide that that have resulted from caught abuse, through that Act. MENZ Quantitavive Figures My own analysis of the effectiveness of that Act is here.

If Sir Peter’s ideas gain traction in NZ Government, then we can hope to markedly reduce men’s suicides.

A very good example of a Government carrying out good quality relevant social research is Australia Institute for Family Studies. The coverage includes social, criminal, child development and protection, with a view to producing useful information, aimed at improving social quality for all Australians. Although the title says “family” they take a constructive interest in single people’s lives too. (Sort of like a Families Commission, but with a research budget and a strong sense of direction.)

National have indicated that they have an axe ready for Mental health Foundation and Families Commission and even the Press Council, that they don’t fund! Real murderers territory, kill everything that moves. If you want to support social development in NZ, not just by copying other countries, then put pressure to support relevant and good quality social research within NZ.

It is election year – lets push careful family oriented social policies as a leading issue.
Best regards, MurrayBacon – axe murderer.