Methodology
How this document works
NZ to Utopia is a collaboratively-edited policy document hosted on GitHub. It uses Git version control, which means:
- Every change is tracked — You can see the full history of edits, who made them, and why
- Anyone can propose changes — Via GitHub pull requests
- Changes are reviewed — Community members discuss and review proposals before they're merged
- Nothing is lost — Previous versions are always accessible
Document structure
The document is organised into numbered sections, each covering a major policy area. Sections have sub-pages for specific topics. The structure is defined in a manifest file that controls navigation order.
Status indicators
Each section has a status indicator:
- Draft — Initial content that needs significant development and review
- In review — Substantive content that is being actively discussed and refined
- Published — Content that has been through community review and represents a reasonably stable position
"Published" doesn't mean "finished" — all sections remain open to improvement.
Contributing
- Read a section that interests you
- Click "Edit this page on GitHub" at the bottom of any page
- Propose your changes — GitHub will guide you through creating a pull request
- Discuss — Community members will review and discuss your proposal
- Merge — Accepted changes are published automatically
For broader discussion, use GitHub Discussions.
Principles for contributions
- Cite sources — Link to evidence, data, and research where possible
- Be specific — Concrete policy suggestions over vague aspirations
- Consider equity — How does your proposal affect different communities?
- Be constructive — Challenge ideas, not people
- Respect te ao Maori — Consider Treaty obligations and Maori perspectives
Licensing
Content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. This means anyone can share and adapt the content, provided they give credit and share under the same terms.