Matt Burgess is a Senior Economist at The New Zealand Initiative. He was Senior Economic Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Chief Executive of iPredict, and a Senior Associate at consultants Charles River Associates.
He has a Master of Commerce in economics with first class honours from the University of Canterbury and a Bachelor of Commerce in economics and mathematics.
Latest reports:
Real action, not empty words: How to make the Zero Carbon Bill about cutting emissions (2019)
Research Note: When the facts change - How the ICCC saved New Zealand from a policy disaster (2019)
Switched on! Achieving a green, affordable and reliable energy future (2019)
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
Data from the OECD reveals extraordinary increases in the cost of housing in most countries. Since 2000, house prices in OECD countries have gone up 39% after inflation. Read more
It is easy to dismiss critics of the Climate Change Commission’s plan to reduce emissions as opposed to any action at all. Too easy. Read more
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) uses prices to lower emissions. The scheme launched in New Zealand in 2008 and it is now one of the best-designed schemes in the world. Read more
After eight weeks of poring over the 847 pages of analysis from the Climate Change Commission, two findings stand out. First, the Commission shows current policies, including the Emissions Trading Scheme (“ETS”), will deliver our 2050 emissions targets. Read more
In our submission to the Climate Change Commission on the draft emissions budget, we support the commitments to emissions targets under the Paris agreement and to net zero emissions from 2050. We have two overarching recommendations that we explain in the submission: 1. Read more
Matt Burgess and Oliver Hartwich sit down to discuss Oliver's recent Newsroom column on what we can learn from the European ETS experience, and how it relates to some of the finer points in the Climate Change Commission's draft emissions report.
The New Zealand Initiative · Matt Burgess and Oliver Hartwich discuss emissions policy Read more
It is now three weeks and three days since the Climate Change Commission extended the submissions deadline for its draft emissions budgets by two weeks. The extension was prompted by concerns about the Commission’s refusal to release selected data from its models. Read more
When you think about who could suffer the most from the sweeping reforms proposed by the Climate Change Commission, the ceramics industry is probably not the first on your list. But the threat from the Commission’s plan is real for the artists, clubs, students, collectors, and employers who use LPG and gas-fired kilns to craft their pottery. Read more
The Climate Change Commission’s draft plan for how New Zealand will reduce emissions is nothing if not ambitious. The commission recommends re-shaping cities to walk and cycle more, less coal and more renewables. Read more
At the New Zealand Economics Forum 2021, held at the University of Waikato, Matt Burgess participated in a panel discussion on Economic policy and the environment - challenges and opportunities. You can read Matt's full speech below. Read more
In his latest podcast on Newstalk ZB, Leighton Smith talks to Matt Burgess about the Climate Change Commission's report on emissions reduction and its implications for New Zealand. Read more
Mike Hosking reads out Matt Burgess’ opinion piece (published in the NZ Herald) about the Climate Change Commission's plans to reduce emissions. Matt points out that New Zealand already has a system for reducing emissions called the Emissions Trading Scheme, which puts a price on greenhouse gases. Read more
This week, the Climate Change Commission told the government it should take control of the economy to lower emissions. The Commission’s advice, part of its draft emissions budgets to 2035, was based on doubts that New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be enough. Read more
If the goal of emissions policies is to cut emissions for the smallest loss of our prosperity, then the Climate Change Commission delivered a fiasco this week. Alongside its emissions budgets, the Commission has written the first draft of a plan for how New Zealand will lower its emissions over the next 15 years. Read more
Senior Economist Matt Burgess shares his thoughts on the Climate Change Commission's draft report to the Government and the steps it should take to reduce emissions in New Zealand. If you would like to listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more