We can’t afford to sleep on climate risks any longer

By Julian Wood

The story of Rip Van Winkle, first published 200 years ago, resonates deeply with me. I too feel like I…

Making the Provincial Growth Fund a risk worth taking

By Julian Wood

The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) represents a once in a generation opportunity to support a sustainable future for New Zealand’s…

The collision of research and real life

By Alex Penk

I’ve never been to Maraenui, but I’ve now had a pretty eye-opening introduction to the Napier suburb. The devastation caused…

Time to take a risk for the regions – Newsroom column

By Alex Penk

To lay out an explanation for the recommendations in our Taking the Right Risks policy paper on regional development, Alex Penk…

Regional Development Policy Paper: Taking the Right Risks

By Julian Wood

Our previous work on regional development laid out the evidence that large parts of New Zealand are facing a 30 year wave…

Planning to take the right risks for our regions

By Julian Wood

New Zealand’s Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has a problem. He has three billion dollars and three years to change…

Getting fit to compete in the global game

By Julian Wood

While political and economic “change” is on everyone’s lips, we need to be clear about our current situation, and what…

Read our column on The Spinoff and RNZ

By Alex Penk

This week, Alex Penk and Julian Wood’s column Triumph or disaster? A guide to the minimum wage increase featured on The…

Urban/rural split could lead to political polarisation

By Alex Penk

Alex’s latest op-ed features in The Christchurch Press, where he discusses the political and social risks of growing demographic rifts between…

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…

MIC 07 | Adapting to the future

By Julian Wood

A number of questions keep popping up in public conversation lately: Will my job exist in 10 years time? Is…

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…

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 which should dramatically influence…

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…

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….

Clear expectations

By Julian Wood

The Reserve Bank has done a fantastic job over the last 27 years, doing what it is supposed to do…

Minimum wage opportunities

By Julian Wood

As a tool to help people who are struggling to get by, an increase to the minimum wage is a…

Living Wage disputes

By Kieran Madden

Last week, the Government announced that the minimum wage will soon rise by 50 cents to $15.25/hour, higher than the…

Beyond Profit | how the economy can be good for our society

It can’t be all about the money. If we gauge our national success solely on having a growing economy, we…

Growing Aotearoa

By Kieran Madden

Is New Zealand growing better, or worse?  Well, it depends on what you look at, of course. Stats New Zealand…