About us

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Core Tasks Networking Off Shore Events Media Publications Accountability Funding Homebase Establishment

The Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand is an independent national think-tank, founded in 1993 with the task of sustaining levels of awareness and understanding within New Zealand about the external environment in which the nation must operate in the 21st Century.

Core Tasks

• Research, analysis and commentary about external factors that influence the strategic environment for New Zealand. Contributions to this work are invited from universities in New Zealand and others outside the Centre itself. This method of operation ensures the Centre reflects a wide and independent view.
  
• Strategic security is defined by the Centre as embracing not just traditional military dimensions but also political, socio-economic and other factors. Programme of publications (books, working papers, discussion papers, strategic briefing papers). Research into strategic issues broadly defined.

Networking

• Catalyst to ignite interest among the New Zealand academic community in strategic studies, and in the wealth of such work outside New Zealand. The Centre acts as a clearinghouse.
  
• Dialogue with Government, universities, private sector, groups and individuals in the community within New Zealand, on questions of strategic concern, broadly defined.
  
• Hosts Fellows.

Offshore

• Interacts with counterpart institutions, especially in Asia-Pacific to build contacts and share views with research bodies and think-tanks, many of whom occupy influential positions in their respective countries.
  
• Participant in the Council for Security Co-operation in Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) which mobilises regional strategic studies think-tanks to address collectively key issues of relevance to regional stability and well-being.
  
• Services the New Zealand National Committee of CSCAP, which comprises members drawn from a cross-section of the community.
  
• Participate in the Asia-Pacific ASEAN-ISIS Roundtable.

Events

• Seminars involving both Government and non-Government visitors to New Zealand with expertise in political-security issues, broadly defined.
  
• Workshops/Conferences on strategic security related issues from both a New Zealand perspective, and an Asia-Pacific regional standpoint.
  
• Speaking/lecturing to academic and non-academic bodies with an interest in strategic questions.

Media

• Engaging with New Zealand media to promote use of resident expertise to analyse and comment on, external events and their significance.

Publications

• Books, Working Papers, Discussion Papers, and Strategic Briefing Papers.

Accountability

• Answerable to a Management Committee consisting of academics, Government officials who represent the stakeholders in the Centre; and who champion the Mission Statement of the CSS:NZ.

Funding

• From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Defence, the New Zealand Defence Force, and Victoria University of Wellington.

Homebase

• Campus of Victoria University of Wellington provides a meeting place for fellow academics; Government officials and other interested individuals; as well as access for visitors to New Zealand who have official business in the capital.

Establishment

• Core establishment comprises Director, Research Fellows, Associate Fellows,and Executive Officer.