Developing Long-Term Policy: The Approach Used By the Recent Prime Ministerial Task Force on Positive Ageing

Alison McDonald

The Prime Ministerial Task Force on Positive Ageing was established in 1996 to take a long-term look at how New Zealand society can ensure that people move through their lives towards a healthy, independent, safe, secure and dignified old age; one in which they participate in and contribute to society. Many such groups have been established to look at a range of policy-related issues, but there seems to have been little evaluation of their efficiency and effectiveness compared to the standard approach of policy development and advice from public service departments.

This paper draws on the experiences of the Task Force to discuss the issues raised by taking this sort of approach. The evidence from this process indicates that a task force is most useful when considering a long-term policy issue that requires a change in societal attitudes, a range of expertise (rather than representation) is required, the work can be completed within one term of government, the issue is important and well understood enough  for ministers and senior policy officials to accord it priority, and the task force can liaise with key ministers on the general direction of the work.