In order to have a vibrant and successful economy, New Zealand must be able to seize hold of opportunities as they present themselves.
Archaic regulations can restrict the uptake of new technologies, while political expediency can trump sound policy proposals on matters of foreign direct investment.
Our research into this area covers everything from Special Economic Zones; to whether interest-free student loans have been a progressive or regressive measure.
Read The New Zealand Initiative's submission to Parliament's Transport and Infrastructure Committee on the Building Amendment Bill. Read more
Read The New Zealand Initiative's submission to the Environment Committee on the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill. Read more
Read The New Zealand Initiative's submission to the Treasury on New Zealand’s Fiscal Policy Framework: Establishing an Independent Fiscal Institution. Read more
Read The New Zealand Initiative's submission to the Treasury on Embedding wellbeing in the Public Finance Act 1989. Read more
This report looks at how good a job government is doing with all the tasks entrusted to it. The issue is important because government has come to command much of our resources.Taxes in New Zealand have risen four times faster than incomes in the 20th century. Taxes now take more of our income than in almost any country outside Europe. We have become a high tax country.We, the public, need the government to spend our tax money well.Government is a... Read more
It was during the discussions of measuring spiritual capital that the ghost of Sir John James Cowperthwaite hovered near. The shade whispered in my ear, “When I was Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, I refused to collect economic statistics for London. Why? For fear that I might be forced to do something about them.” Read more
Jenesa Jeram talks to Jim Mora about her new report on NZ Superannuation, stating that our pension age needs to rise and it should be linked to health expectancy. The report points out that New Zealand is one of the few countries that has a non-means-tested pension. We'll be living longer and retiring later so the system will need to change soon, the report suggests. Read more
Like many young people, I have long been told that New Zealand Superannuation (NZS) is unaffordable, and to prepare for a future without it. Yet both major political parties have avoided touching the issue.On Tuesday, The New Zealand Initiative released its latest report, Embracing a Super model: The superannuation sky is not falling, which explains why this is so.Embracing a Super model finds many things to celebrate about the superannuation model. Read more
Community sponsorship helps Canada accept far more refugees than the government’s quota could accommodate on its own. And it looks promising for New Zealand as well. But scaling the programme to its full potential may require sponsoring communities to pick up a greater share of the cost.During the 2015–16 Syrian refugee crisis, Kiwis wanting to help were stymied by restrictions on the number of refugees allowed into the country. Read more
Jenesa Jeram discusses on The AM Show our new report Embracing a Super model: The superannuation sky is not falling.The report finds that New Zealand’s universal pension system is relatively affordable but could do with small tweaks as the population ages. Jenesa recommends that the pension age must rise and be linked to health expectancy. Read more