The Trotter Times Feb 2007 cover

The Trotter Times

A collection of speeches given by Sir Ronald Trotter between 1986 and 2002 on behalf of the New Zealand Business Roundtable. Read more

New Zealand Business Roundtable
1 February, 2007
Environmentalism vs constitutionalism cover

Environmentalism versus Constitutionalism: A Contest Without Winners

Some environmentalists believe that a pristine environment is a goal to be achieved regardless of the costs to human communities. Suri Ratnapala explains the need to balance threats to the environment with the threat to constitutional government that arises from ill-advised policy responses to the challenges of environmental protection. Read more

Suri Ratnapala
New Zealand Business Roundtable
8 December, 2006
Competing to win cover

Competing to win: An external strategy for a changed world

Competing to win is the fifth paper in a series that forms part of the New Zealand Institute’s research project on Creating a global New Zealand economy. This paper follows on from our first four papers No country is an island, Dancing with the stars?, The flight of the Kiwi, and Developing Kiwi global champions. Read more

Dr David Skilling, Danielle Boven
The New Zealand Institute
22 November, 2006
Submission Wellington Regional Strategy1

Submission: Wellington Regional Strategy

We share the WRS team’s concern about the lagging performance of the regional economy. Both directly and through the Local Government Forum we have drawn attention to this problem in submissions to the Wellington City Council and the Wellington Regional Council over many years. Read more

New Zealand Business Roundtable
31 October, 2006
Submission Telecommunications Amendment Bill1

Submission: Telecommunications Amendment Bill

We submit that the measures in this Bill represent (i) a major taking of private property rights without an acceptable public-interest justification, (ii) a lack of due process, and (iii) a lack of consideration of the question of compensation. Read more

New Zealand Business Roundtable
15 September, 2006
Submission Business Tax Review

Submission: Business Tax Review

The Business Roundtable welcomes the government's willingness to examine a reduction in the rate of company tax, but personal tax also needs to be reduced. It is opposed to the possible tax subsidies outlined in the discussion document. Read more

New Zealand Business Roundtable
1 September, 2006
Trotter The Battle of Ideas

The Battle of Ideas: The 2006 Sir Ronald Trotter Lecture

In An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith argued that there was a virtuous circle that led to increased prosperity. The source of economic growth and development was the gains from specialisation and trade realised through the greater division of labour and the expansion of the market economy. Read more

Peter Boettke
New Zealand Business Roundtable
8 August, 2006
School Choice the three essential elements cover

School Choice: The Three Essential Elements and Several Policy Options

The three essential elements of successful school choice policies are: the freedom to open, expand and close schools in response to increased or reduced demand; funding following the student, putting all schools on the same footing; and independent management, so that schools are free to innovate in areas such as teaching practices, teacher pay, and school organisation. The report draws on a wide range of evidence including a study of the impact of Chicago’s charter schools on the environment. Read more

Caroline M. Hoxby
New Zealand Business Roundtable
1 August, 2006
The flight of the Kiwi cover

The flight of the Kiwi: Going global from the end of the world

The flight of the Kiwi is the third paper in a series that forms part of the New Zealand Institute's research project on Creating a global New Zealand economy. This paper follows on from our first two papers No country is an island and Dancing with the stars?. Read more

Dr David Skilling, Danielle Boven
The New Zealand Institute
22 July, 2006
Submission Response to the Commerce Commissions Schedule 3 Investigation of Mobile Termination Reconsideration

Submission: Response to the Commerce Commission's Schedule 3 Investigation of Mobile Termination Reconsideration Final Report

I am writing on behalf of the New Zealand Business Roundtable in response to the Commerce Commission's 21 April 2006 Reconsideration Report (Reconsideration Report) concerning the regulation of fixed line calls to mobile phones. The Business Roundtable is an organisation comprising primarily chief executives of major New Zealand businesses. Read more

New Zealand Business Roundtable
18 May, 2006
Why have Kiwis not become Tigers cover

Why Have Kiwis Not Become Tigers?

Modest growth in New Zealand is not the result of an overdose of reforms or bad cultural attitudes. The problem, in short, is that the reform process has not been completed, and needs to be continued and extended. Read more

Frederic Sautet
New Zealand Business Roundtable
6 May, 2006
Submission KiwiSaver Bill

Submission: KiwiSaver Bill

The Bill is the culmination of work started by the Savings Product Working Group (the SPWG) and continues to exhibit the effects of poor problem identification and analysis. Read more

New Zealand Business Roundtable
30 April, 2006

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