Jenesa is a Research Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative, focusing mainly on social issues and lifestyle regulations. She is the author of Health of the State, a report that looks at the evidence and ideology behind public health and lifestyle regulations. She has an interest in sugar tax regulations, and has also co-authored publications on poverty, inequality, social impact bonds, economic growth and housing. Jenesa is available to comment on all of these areas.
She has a Bachelor of Arts with first class Honours from the University of Otago, majoring in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
Latest reports:
Embracing a Super model: The superannuation sky is not falling (2018)
Smoke and Vapour: the changing world of tobacco harm reduction (2018)
The Inequality Paradox: Why inequality Matters Even Though it has Barely Changed (2016)
The Health of the State (2016)
Poorly Understood: The State of Poverty in New Zealand (2016)
Investing for success: Social Impact Bonds and the future of public services (2015)
The Case for Economic Growth (2015)
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
Email: info@nzinitiative.org.nz
Tidying guru Marie Kondo advises her followers to hold or hug everyday items and ask yourself: “Does this item spark joy?” So I picked up a plastic bag and clutched it to my chest. I first felt joy, and then an overwhelming grief. Read more
It’s hard to make young people care about New Zealand Superannuation. I should know. Read more
Meet Jim. Jim first started paying taxes when he was 12 years old and picked up a lawn mowing job. Read more
Like many young people, I have long been told that New Zealand Superannuation (NZS) is unaffordable, and to prepare for a future without it. Yet both major political parties have avoided touching the issue. Read more
Jenesa Jeram talks to Jim Mora about her new report on NZ Superannuation, stating that our pension age needs to rise and it should be linked to health expectancy. The report points out that New Zealand is one of the few countries that has a non-means-tested pension. 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
Jenesa Jeram discusses on The AM Show our new report Embracing a Super model: The superannuation sky is not falling. The report finds that New Zealand’s universal pension system is relatively affordable but could do with small tweaks as the population ages. Read more
In the old days, quitting smoking was apparently a miserable affair. So miserable, in fact, that even when faced with the prospect of ‘quit smoking or die’, too many smokers tragically fell into the latter category. Read more
In 1898, the first publicly funded pension was introduced in New Zealand. Back then, those aged over 65 comprised only 1.3 per cent of the population, with the average life expectancy for males being 54. Read more
When you break a bone, being told that an X-ray confirms the break is little relief. You already know there is a problem, but what you really want to know is how to fix it. Read more
This week, a beloved piece of public art was destroyed. On a warm spring day in Wellington (yes Aucklanders, you read that right), a young man decided to climb the expensive Len Lye sculpture on the waterfront until it snapped. Read more
I recently read an article that distressed me so deeply I feel it needed a trigger warning. The article reported that millennials are more likely to support socialism. Read more
Whoever added Whitney Houston to this government’s Spotify playlist has a lot to answer for. “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.” These are perfectly fine song lyrics. Read more
There is a saying about the news media: "If it bleeds, it leads". Not to be crude, but the recent rise in coverage of period poverty is a classic example of such thinking. Read more
Whenever a bartender enthusiastically asks me whether I want to save the turtles, I like to look them dead in the eyes and without hesitation say “no”. Don’t get me wrong, turtles have never done anything to offend me personally. Read more