Economics
About Economics
From the price of milk to how easy it is to find a job, the way each of us live and many of the choices we get to make depend on how we answer the economic questions facing New Zealand. We approach these questions knowing that economics isn’t just financial, it’s about the wellbeing of every person.
Most Recent Activity
Taxes, trust, and transparency
By Kieran Madden
“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” This, apparently, was economist John Maynard Keynes’…
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Funding roads in the electric future
By Julian Wood
In a recent blog, I made the case for regional petrol taxes, which would allow district and town authorities to…
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Paying at the pump to revive our crumbling infrastructure
By Julian Wood
We hear a lot about Auckland’s infrastructure woes, but across the country there are regions desperately trying to fund their…
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Youth UBI fails to focus on real need
By Danielle van Dalen
Only a few years ago I would have been eligible for the $200 a week Gareth Morgan’s party just announced…
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Big questions for local councils
By Alex Penk
Do you expect your council to light your streets and fix the potholes? Do you think it should provide clean…
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Investing in people, regardless of return
By Julian Wood
Like the proverbial frog in the slowly heating pot, many of us are blissfully unaware of the change currently going…
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The Budget partnership between the people and our Government
By Julian Wood
Each year the Budget charts a broad course for the years ahead. It outlines how much money the Government has,…
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Tax the robots?
By Julian Wood
We’re now quite used to dire predictions concerning the future of work, job stability, and automation. As far back as…
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Our insecure future of work
By Kieran Madden
Many pinned Trump’s election and the Brexit vote as being fueled by people’s fear of losing their way of life….
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New Zealand, let’s stop being a cheap date
By Julian Wood
Travellers are enamoured with us. Last year, 3.5 million visitors arrived in New Zealand to check us out. This is…
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Newspaper coverage of regional development paper
Newspapers around New Zealand published articles in response to our Growing Beyond Growth report on regional development Read articles from: …
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NZ Herald Focus interview on regional development paper
Bernadine Oliver-Kerby interviewed Alex Penk about our regional development paper for NZ Herald’s online video series. Watch the interview here
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Alex Penk on RNZ National – Regional Development
The day we released our paper Growing Beyond Growth – rethinking the goals of regional development in New Zealand, CEO Alex…
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Get real about regional spending
By Julian Wood
If you put people in a room and ask them how to bring growth to New Zealand’s regions, someone will…
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Growing Beyond Growth: Rethinking the goals of regional development in New Zealand
By Julian Wood
New Zealand is already feeling the effects of an oncoming wave of economic and demographic change. Over the next 30…
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The regional role of iwi
By Julian Wood
Bill English has made a splash in the last few days, both for his sheep shearing skills and his first-time…
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What’s dragging beneath Gareth Morgan’s new TOP sail?
By Jeremy Vargo
The story of last week was of course, John Key, and the end of his incredible run of political popularity….
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The ‘un-meat’ needs of our regions
By Julian Wood
In 1798, Thomas Malthus, a controversial but influential political economist, predicted that the world’s population would soon outstrip its food…
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The true cost of getting “Ready for Work”
By Julian Wood
Labour’s “Ready For Work” policy is a great idea. Unveiled at the party’s conference, the plan offers on the job…
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Stretching the potential of flexible work
By Danielle van Dalen
“All we really want is a little control – and to make that 6 o’clock yoga class once in a…
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