International research shows the best education systems enable teachers to learn from each other about how to enhance student learning and lift achievement. No School is an Island is the story of a New Zealand model of this kind called Learning and Change Networks (LCN), where schools have banded together as networks to collaborate with each other. Read more
Empty Nests, Crowded Houses: Building for an ageing population describes what could develop in the future housing market if the current rate of construction fails to increase. The report is based on demographic projections which predict that under a range of scenarios, the population is likely to be larger and older. Read more
New Zealand by Numbers is a collection of statistical data on the development of the state of our nation. It shows how New Zealand has changed over the past decades. Read more
With a greater number of local government bodies having adopted a compact city development strategy, or in the process of considering it, The New Zealand Initiative set out to examine whether these urban forms deliver on their stated benefits. The compact city school of thought is built on the belief that cities should be sustainable in their use of resources, and while this takes many policy forms, it is principally expressed in restricting the outwards spread of the urban footprint. Read more
This is the third and final report in The New Zealand Initiative’s series on New Zealand’s global financial links. The second report in the series, Capital Doldrums, found that New Zealand stands out in international comparisons for the restrictiveness of its regulatory regime and the slump it its ranking for investment attractiveness. Read more
Openness to the rest of the world through trade and capital is key to the prosperity of nations. Merchandise world trade has grown much faster than world GDP since 1980, but not as fast as global foreign direct investment (FDI). Read more
Teachers are our most important educational asset – the single biggest influence on student achievement in schools. Teaching must become a profession of status so that New Zealand can attract the best and brightest and keep them, and ensure that teachers are always improving their practice to lift student achievement. Read more
Teachers are New Zealand’s most important educational asset. This report is the second in a series of three, building on the first - World Class Education: Why New Zealand Must Strengthen Its Teaching Profession, which identified some of the main structural problems preventing New Zealand’s teaching workforce from developing further. Read more
It is well recognised that New Zealand has a housing supply problem. Amid a growing population, shrinking household size, and increasing migration flows, the number of new homes built over the last three decades has failed to keep up with real demand. Read more
Why is NZ shedding talented teachers? NZ has a high quality but unequal education system It fails too many Māori and Pasifika students, with wide gaps in performance Policies to attract, retain and develop talent are needed to tackle the problem This report, written by John Morris and Rose Patterson, identifies the critical junctures where teaching quality can be influenced, and the organisations that have the power to strengthen the teaching profession. Read more
A joint publication from The New Zealand Initiative and Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ). A Global Perspective on Localism discusses the question of if the developed world is looking to put more power in the hands of people at a local government level, why is New Zealand headed in the other direction? Read more
This report is a summary of fieldwork abroad on how different jurisdictions deal with their housing markets, and the interaction between regulation, local government and building. Key points Switzerland and Germany have remarkably stable prices compared to New Zealand, while Texas has had stable and low house prices for an extended period. Read more
Priced Out – How New Zealand Lost its Housing Affordability looks at long-term trends in housing regulation and social circumstances as well as the changing roles of local and central governments. The report reveals how and why New Zealand is suffering a shortfall of houses. Read more
New Zealand has depended on overseas trade and capital for its prosperity from colonial times. But prejudice against foreigners and foreign capital will always be with us. Read more
Key points As measured by the OECD's FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index and analysed by The New Zealand Initiative: New Zealand has the sixth most restrictive FDI regime in the world New Zealand has the most restrictive FDI regime in manufacturing New Zealand runs the third-most restrictive FDI regime in restaurants and hotels Almost all of New Zealand's restrictiveness comes from screening processes - bureaucrats and ministers assessing how 'good' an investment is going to be for New Zealand, despite their poor incentives and lack of commercial knowledge. Of the 55 countries the OECD measured for FDI restrictiveness, 35 do not even have screening tests In addition: The 'sensitive land' and 25% ownership clauses in the Overseas Investment Act catch virtually any reasonably sized direct overseas investment Over the past 15 years, many other nations have substantially liberalised their overseas investment regimes, leaving New Zealand in a less competitive position to attract FDI Since 1993, the amount of FDI New Zealand attracts has trended down by 2% per decade, although the relationship is suggestive rather than robust at this point All New Zealanders can be expected to bear the cost of these foreign investment barriers through lower property values, a higher cost of capital, and weaker economic growth. Read more