Democracy in New Zealand.

• Author: Hayward, Bronwyn
• Position: Book review

DEMOCRACY IN NEW ZEALAND

Author: Raymond Miller

Published by: Auckland University Press, Auckland, 2015, 288pp, $45.

Democracy in New Zealand is a small gem of a book. In an era of fractured political analysis, Raymond Miller's discussion of the practice of New Zealand democracy offers a coherent narrative, a sustained argument and thoughtful insight into the evolution of the institutions of New Zealand's small democracy. Five features make this book stand out as a useful edition to the personal libraries of undergraduates, public administrators and professional politicians alike.

The first notable strength of this text is its accessibility. As the experienced editor of a series of successful undergraduate books on New Zealand politics, and a sought after political commentator, it is not surprising that Raymond Miller's monograph would be engaging, but it is rewarding to read a sophisticated analysis of the evolution of New Zealand political institutions which is written with a clear, thoughtful voice.

A second strength of Democracy in New Zealand is the seamless way the author places the evolution of New Zealand's democratic institutions in a wider, historical and international context. Too often the small size and geographic remoteness of New Zealand has encouraged political analysis which is either too myopic, with an almost insular focus on singular events and personalities, or too targeted to the comparative political journal market, reducing New Zealand experiences to a footnote in other people's studies of coalition formation or a study of voter engagement through proportional representation. Thankfully, this book avoids both traps, although Miller does offer detailed argument about the extent to which New Zealand has modified the Westminster model of representative government, while retaining centralised powers and the dominance of two parties. Miller also offers careful analysis of the impact of MMP on the quality of New Zealand democracy. His observation that MMP was the 'unexpected consequence' of public engagement has been made elsewhere, but the recent Brexit vote reminds us that even in an age of near constant political polling it is still all too easy for political parties' elites to lose touch with core concerns of citizens for accountable, fair and accessible government.

A focus on the evolution of political parties as key institutions of New Zealand democracy is a third strength of this text. Miller brings his wider...