Executive SummaryRelative to income, dwelling prices in New Zealand are among the highest in the OECD. This is New Zealand’s housing affordability problem in a nutshell. 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. Commentators insist that with an ageing population, New Zealand Superannuation (NZS) is unsustainable. 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. 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. Read more
Confidence in the guardians of 21st century commerce really matters. If consumer confidence is misplaced, it can have disastrous consequences. Read more
New Zealand’s education system is designed not to measure performance. How can we tell whether policies intended to boost student performance are successful, or how much academic achievement matters for later life outcomes, if we cannot measure it? Read more
2017 was an extra special year for The New Zealand Initiative. We celebrated our fifth anniversary by producing more high-quality research. 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. 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: All advice provided by the Ministry of Health to Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman regarding sugar taxes; All briefings and correspondence related to Professor John Gibson’s work on sugar taxes; All reviews and summaries of existing research about sugar taxes; Any meeting notes, PowerPoint slides, emails and correspondence regarding sugar taxes for any meeting of ELT. 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. Read more
Many New Zealanders love to fish. With the tenth longest coastline in the world, hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders fish recreationally each year in inshore waters. Read more
New Zealanders should be a lot healthier and better off today than they were in 1970. Income per head is almost twice what it was 1970. Read more
The Challenge. Which moves faster: technology, or the regulation that tries to keep up with it? Read more
When New Zealanders look at Switzerland, they see a country that may superficially remind them of their own. Mountains, lakes and stunning scenery are features of both New Zealand and Switzerland. Read more
Chief Economist Dr Eric Crampton’s essay, The Outside of the Asylum is a lighthearted take and it makes a serious point. Regardless of election year shenanigans, New Zealand gets a lot of things right that other countries screw up. Read more