Nation Voices
Nation Voices: New Zealand’s premiers and prime ministers in their own words will be published in late 2026.
Nation Voices invites readers to step into the shoes of each of our 42 premiers and prime ministers, offering glimpses into their character, the decisions that defined them, and the trials they faced in office.
The book draws upon the lessons of history to showcase the qualities that shape effective leadership in New Zealand. At its heart lies a central question: what makes a good prime minister?
Nation Voices aims to offer a window into the character, choices and challenges of each of the 42 leaders. Each profile includes a speech that captures the spirit and complexity of their time in power in their authentic voice. These reveal how leaders met the challenges and embraced the opportunities of their time in office.
Over the past decade, the Institute has built an extensive collection of more than 100 biographies and autobiographies of premiers and prime ministers. Please see our latest PDF for the full list of titles collected to date here [[coming soon]]. We welcome suggestions for additional books to include in the list. Please email us at [email protected].
From the outset, the vision was for Nation Dates and Nation Voices to stand side by side, each complementing the other: one tracing the events that shaped the nation, the other illuminating the leaders who steered it through those moments. It is with great satisfaction that we now see these two volumes published together.
Both books will be joined by a third edition of COVID‑19 Nation Dates, which places the events of our recent history alongside the responses of the prime ministers who faced the extraordinary trials of a global pandemic.
Together, these three books create a rich tapestry spanning almost 300 years of New Zealand’s past – its leaders, its challenges, and its resilience.
Hindsight and foresight
In future studies, three perspectives shape the dialogue: hindsight, insight, and foresight. The Nation Dates series seeks to strengthen our collective hindsight, identifying historical patterns and lessons that support the development of foresight and the navigation of future challenges. The cone of plausibility (see below) is a strategic foresight framework that illustrates how the future expands into a widening range of potential outcomes, as well as a corresponding hindsight cone. The framework depicts the relationship between multiple perceived pasts and multiple potential futures, and can help leaders learn from the past and better navigate probable, plausible, possible, and preferable futures. The more we know about our past, the more we can improve foresight over the future.
The cone of plausibility
Frequently asked questions
1. What was the inspiration for Nation Voices?
Nation Voices emerged from a recognition of a profound gap in New Zealand’s historical record: the absence of a single book that chronicles the lives and leadership of all New Zealand’s premiers and prime ministers. The importance of such a work became evident during the Institute’s research for the first edition of Nation Dates, one of its sister publications, 15 years ago. We are now working on the sixth edition of Nation Dates.
2. How were the speeches selected?
The speeches were selected by McGuinness Institute chief executive Wendy McGuinness, Institute patrons and a small team of researchers. They aim to be both accessible and engaging, inviting readers to journey at their own pace through the unfolding story of our nation. Each speech illuminates the challenges confronted by New Zealand’s leaders and the responses that helped shape the country’s history, in the authentic voices of our premiers and prime ministers.
3. Who will this book appeal to?
Nation Voices will appeal to readers interested in New Zealand’s political history, leadership, and the role of prime ministers in shaping the nation. It will resonate with readers drawn to New Zealand’s past as well as those curious about its future.
4. How can I give feedback about Nation Voices?
We welcome your feedback, including suggestions of premiers’ and prime ministers’ speeches; please email us at [email protected]. With past editions of Nation Dates the feedback has been critically important. Thank you to all those who have contributed to making every edition of our books better, stronger and more dynamic.