REPORTS

If New Zealand can’t recover from the economic “heart attack” of self-imposed lockdown, it could face GDP losses at Great Depression levels, according to a New Zealand Initiative research note. While the Covid-19 pandemic has not ruined New Zealand’s economic capabilities, the lockdown has forced the country into an unprecedented productivity pause which the Initiative’s senior fellow Bryce Wilkinson says could slice away about $10,000 per household this year. Read more

The pandemic-induced recession creates a strong case for the Government to support struggling workers with targeted assistance, rather than a Universal Basic Income (UBI), according to the new policy paper Stay on Target by The New Zealand Initiative. As the Government searches for fresh and innovative ideas to prepare for the worst economic effects of shutting down the country’s commerce over four weeks, it has tentatively proposed the introduction of a universal basic income scheme. Read more

Unless effective treatment for the novel coronavirus Covid-19 emerges quickly, the world faces not only misery but economic depression. New Zealand will be immune to neither. The normal economic uncertainties of a downturn will be compounded by the uncertainties of a pandemic. Read more

Asking the public for submissions on pending legislation while the country is in pandemic lockdown risks making a farce of democracy and unnecessarily distracting the Government, according to a new policy paper by the New Zealand Initiative. The business of government must go on, said the Initiative’s chief economist Dr Eric Crampton, but politicians can afford to put less urgent matters aside for the time being. Read more

The Covid-19 outbreak is quickly developing into an economic crisis. Maintaining employment and the ability of firms to recover quickly when the crisis abates is critically important given that labour markets in several European countries are yet to fully recover from the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008.The Government has already taken steps to avoid this happening in New Zealand, including multiple measures to help both firms and workers like wage subsidies. Read more

The Prime Minister called 2019 “the year of delivery.” Later this year, voters will deliver their verdict on that statement and promise.At the Initiative, it was definitely a year of delivery for us. Over the year, we produced a record number of reports, research notes and submissions. Our team has continued to focus on the big issues that matter to the prosperity of New Zealanders.Our views on these coincide with the Government’s goals.Swimmable rivers, sustainable freshwater management, making housing affordable,... Read more

This research note is the third in a series of reports discussing the Initiative’s school performance tool and school evaluation in New Zealand. We present three case studies showing how three secondary schools performed before and after our tool separated the contribution of family background from the contribution of each school.The three case studies are presented as three individual school reports that provide a more accurate and fairer picture of the schools’ performance over time and in relation to all... Read more

As part of The New Zealand Initiative's transport research series, our second report, Pricing Out Congestion, focuses on the international experiences around congestion pricing, i.e. the use of road charges encouraging motorists to avoid traveling at peak times in busy routes. Read more

For most of history, only the wealthiest in society had the time and resources to pursue disciplinary knowledge. For everyone else, knowledge beyond daily experience was an unaffordable luxury. Nowadays, through the spread of literacy, everyone can explore knowledge of the world beyond their confines. Read more

New Zealand could be a leader in global emissions reduction. We could lower global emissions by far more than we contribute. We could achieve net zero emissions sooner than 2050. We must simply be prepared to do what works by partnering with or funding the best sources of emissions reduction and removals wherever they are in the world. That might be re-planting the Amazon, capturing carbon in British Colombia, building solar farms in outback Australia, or planting trees in Northland. Read more

New Zealand needs a land transport system that is fit for purpose: a wide range of options that are safe, reliable, environmentally-friendly and cost-effective. But the current transport environment falls far short. We need to, and we can, do better. Read more

Yesterday, the government announced that New Zealand’s decile-based school funding system would be replaced, from 2021, by a funding formula tied to student risk factors. It noted that parents too often conflate a school’s decile rank with its quality. Read more

School evaluation is an essential component of the education system. Identifying high-performing and underperforming schools is vital for building an evidence base for what works to improve education outcomes for students. However, the task of evaluating schools objectively and without bias is extremely complicated. Read more

The opportunities of industry-based qualifications are highly underestimated in New Zealand. It is therefore laudable that earlier this month, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins proposed reforms to the vocational sector that include industry-based education. Read more

New Zealand’s way of regulating nightlife often restricts the opportunities for night owls. This has made nights overly tedious without improving issues of public health and security. Read more