Your excellencies, ministers of the crown, members of parliament, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I am Bill Day, vice-chair of the New Zealand Business Roundtable, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to the fourteenth Sir Ronald Trotter Lecture. Read more
Representatives of two separate and distinct peoples signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Maori immigrants from the Pacific region, who had lived in isolation on the islands now known as New Zealand for somewhere between 500 and 700 years, had been connected with the rest of the world in the decades following James Cook’s arrival in 1769.1 Their separation from the traders, religions, cultural achievements, military forces and diseases of other nations was inevitably going to end. Read more
The purpose of this report is to provide a primer on the core role of local government: the provision of public goods. Governments have to distinguish their roles from those of the private sector and prioritise their plans because the demands on them are unlimited, but resources are scarce. Read more
It is interesting in a public policy sense to review the various roles that have been given to the Maori portfolio of government over the last 160 years. Maori Affairs is one of the oldest of all government portfolios. Read more
The indicators of productivity in New Zealand's health sector are reason for concern, as is the paucity of transparent and reliable information with which to evaluate the effectiveness of policies and management. In spite of continuing substantial - and possibly unsustainable - increases in funding each year, the system struggles to meet some of its obligations, for example to provide treatment to all those who qualify under the points system. Read more
This report is motivated by the realisation that there is a need in New Zealand for a wider understanding of the importance of security of all property rights for civil peace, prosperity, constitutional government, social cohesion and ultimately the democratic system. Respect for private property rights implies the need for restraint, both by governments and by lobby groups. Read more
This paper explores the nature of iwi through time and is structured in three parts. First, the role and institutional limitations of a tribal collective are examined. Read more
This essay advances four propositions: (a) the separate seats are unnecessary to secure effective representation of Maori, (b) the seats entrench a form of historical paternalism that removes Maori issues from the mainstream political agenda, (c) the retention of the seats under MMP represents an insidious form of reverse discrimination and (d) the seats invite 'overhang' and the potential to undermine the expressed will of the people. Read more
This article is an appeal to the media. Speaking to the Journalism Education Association in Wellington recently, prime minister Helen Clark said she wished the New Zealand media were better informed about, among other things, economics. Read more
Actions speak louder than words is the second discussion paper in a research project that the New Zealand Institute is conducting to develop recommendations on New Zealand’s policy response to climate change.
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In recent years Nigel Lawson has written extensively on climate change and has argued that policies enhancing the global community's ability to adapt, rather than just those seeking to limit greenhouse gas emissions, are the most affordable and effective response. He has criticised what he identifies as the "religion of eco-fundamentalism" and has instead emphasised the need to focus broadly on solutions that promote social and economic development. Read more
We’re right behind you is the first discussion paper in a research project that the New Zealand Institute is conducting to develop recommendations on New Zealand’s policy response to climate change. Read more
Despite considerable government investment in tertiary education and training, New Zealand has seen sustained and substantial shortages of skill labour. Norman LaRocque looks at the reasons behind this and outlines the policy environment necessary to address the skills deficit. Read more
Taxation generates various administrative, avoidance, compliance and rent-seeking costs. Alex Robson explains how these ‘deadweight losses’ affect the incentives faced by workers and investors to engage in productive economic activity and how moving to a flatter tax structure would reduce these losses and increase economic growth. Read more
This paper is intended as an introduction to the topic of public policy. Contributing to the development of good public policies for New Zealand is central to the mission of the New Zealand Business Roundtable. Read more