Media release: $70m maths teaching methods failing kids

Wellington (4 June 2015): If your child is falling behind in maths, it could be because they are learning too many methods for solving maths problems, and are not spending enough time on the vital basics. That is a key finding of Un(ac)countable: Why millions on maths returned little by Rose Patterson. Read more

4 June, 2015

Media release: Government commended for progress on social bonds

Wellington (1 June 2015): The Government should be commended for the introduction of a social bond in the mental health sector, as announced today by Finance Minister Bill English and Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman. It is the first of four social bonds the government aims to introduce. Read more

1 June, 2015

Media release: Charity rules need a helping hand

Wellington (18 May 2015): Government needs to set clearer rules, provide greater transparency and remove the tax advantage enjoyed by for-profit arms of charity groups if it wants to promote the work of the charitable sector, according to The New Zealand Initiative. The public policy think tank’s latest report, Giving Charities a Helping Hand, analysed over a decade of regulatory change in the sector, and found that the current rules are stacked against smaller operators while allowing commercial arms of large charities to claim income tax exemptions with little oversight. Read more

18 May, 2015

Media release: Government needs new tools to deliver $34b in social services

Wellington (13 May 2015): Ahead of next week’s budget, The New Zealand Initiative is calling on government to adopt new ways of delivering social services that increase accountability on the billions spent on these programmes. That is one of the main findings of the public policy think tank’s latest report Investing for Success: Social Impact Bonds and the future of public services. Read more

13 May, 2015

Media release: Social service reform should develop Social Impact Bonds

Wellington (29 April 2015): The New Zealand Initiative is calling the Productivity Commission’s draft report on effective social services a useful contribution to the debate on how government delivers more efficient services, as greater accountability is needed. Jenesa Jeram, researcher at The New Zealand Initiative said the Productivity Commission’s report showed that around $34 billion of taxpayers’ money is spent on health, education and social services per year, yet there is currently little accountability for whether these services are achieving the outcomes they are set up to achieve. Read more

29 April, 2015

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