REPORTS

A comprehensive and year-long econometric analysis of data for 400,000 students undertaken by The New Zealand Initiative reveals there are no significant differences in school performance between schools of different deciles. Adjusted for the different student populations they serve, the vast majority of New Zealand’s secondary schools create the education outcomes we would expect from them. This finding calls into question the assertion of the Tomorrow’s Schools Independent Taskforce, led by Bali Haque, which claimed that “quality of our schools... Read more

The coalition government has committed New Zealand to a goal of generating 100% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2035.Renewables already account for 83% of our electricity, and on current trends will generate up to 97% of our electricity in 2035 without any help from policy changes.However, as Matt Burgess shows in this report, the last 3% through to 100% renewables share will be tremendously expensive, and could raise greenhouse gas emissions.New Zealand’s electricity is secure, affordable and among... Read more

The New Zealand Initiative aims to create a country that brings opportunity, prosperity and happiness to all its people. It is an overarching goal that is not left, right or centre. It is a vision all New Zealanders can unite behind. Read more

A new survey reveals that the majority of those surveyed support a move towards local services being managed and provided by local decision-makers. Read more

Tax Working Group’s proposed rate of capital gains tax one of the most penal in the world. Read more

About the authorDr Bryce Wilkinson is a Senior Fellow with The New Zealand Initiative and Director of Capital Economics Limited. Read more

New Zealand is one of a handful of countries to offer a universal non-means-tested benefit, payable from the age of 65 until death. 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

Tobacco policy in New Zealand has traditionally neglected the needs of smokers. The good news is that youth uptake of smoking has significantly declined. The bad news is that the current approach is not as effective in helping smokers become ex-smokers. If the government wants to achieve its ‘Smokefree by 2025’ aspiration (reduce smoker prevalence to 5% of the population), more support will be needed to help smokers quit.Nicotine without smokeVaping – the action of inhaling and exhaling e-cigarette vapour... Read more

Confidence in the guardians of 21st century commerce really matters. If consumer confidence is misplaced, it can have disastrous consequences. We saw this only too clearly with the losses to retail investors from the collapse of the finance company sector during the GFC. Had the former Securities Commission been awake to the risks the finance companies posed, those losses would have been much less than the estimated $3 billion suffered by investors.Poor decision-making by regulators can also be harmful if... Read more

New Zealand’s education system is designed not to measure performance. Read more

2017 was an extra special year for The New Zealand Initiative. We celebrated our fifth anniversary by producing more high-quality research. We organised well-attended events and had a strong presence in the media. Most satisfyingly, we saw some of our recommendations implemented by the government. Read more

Education is about learning. However, as assessment expert Alison Wolf explains:…formal education is also, and intrinsically, about selection and certification… ~ Wolf, A. (2008)This is why national assessments exist. New Zealand’s is NCEA – the National Certificate of Educational Achievement. It was introduced in 2002-04.Born out of discontent with the old university-dominated system, NCEA was not designed to enable selection. Rather it was designed to be inclusive, through affording vast flexibility. Read more

On 31 October 2017, the New Zealand Initiative requested the Ministry’s work on sugar taxes.In terms of the Official Information Act, I am requesting the following information about the Ministry of Health’s work on sugar taxes: Read more

Kiwis know a lot about earthquake preparedness. We know that we have to store enough water and supplies to last for an extended period. We know that our houses need to be fixed to their foundations, and roofing tiles need to be tied down. And we know that our disaster plans must be up-to-date, so family members can find each other if cell phone networks are down.But the government must attend to its own earthquake preparedness. Read more