Reports & Media

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has released five papers that are part of a review of the government’s role in the domestic food sector. The fifth paper, Principles and Possible Methods for a Cost Recovery Framework (the Cost Recovery Paper), states that its purpose is to “propose principles and possible methods for a cost recovery framework for domestic food safety that will determine the funding of functions undertaken by the regulator or on its behalf and who will fund those functions” (p 5). Read more

Home is where the money is is the third paper in a series that forms part of the New Zealand Institute’s initial research program on Creating an Ownership Society. This paper follows on from our first two papers, The wealth of a nation, and It’s not just about money. Read more

This paper was prepared by Capital Economics Ltd for the Local Government Forum. Read more

In this submission, section 2 reviews the BPS's objectives. Section 3 discusses whether the fiscal strategy in the BPS is consistent with those objectives and touches on problems of regulation. Read more

The minister of energy has invited interested parties to comment on new matters raised in the Report, and other relevant matters that have not been the subject of earlier submissions or are not reflected in the Report. In particular, the minister has sought comments on the Report's recommendation that a targeted control regime comparable to that applied to electricity lines businesses under Part 4A of the Commerce Act 1986 should be applied to gas pipeline businesses. Read more

This lecture, Is There Unequal Bargaining Power in the Labour Market?, was delivered in Wellington on 2 August 2004 at the offices of Chapman Tripp Sheffield Young, Wellington. Read more

We are writing in response to the invitation to submit comments on the Oil Security report that was prepared by Covec and Hale and Twomey (‘the Report’) and released on 14 December 2004. We agree that the government faces an international relationship problem. Read more

Like many countries, New Zealand has experienced a significant increase in family breakdown since the 1960s. Patricia Morgan finds that the family in New Zealand is now in a worse state than almost anywhere else. Read more

Nobody would wish to defend corporate irresponsibility or suggest that businesses should behave antisocially. It is little wonder therefore that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a popular notion. Read more

One problem in any technical field is that some technical terms sound like ordinary language, and people outside the field, familiar with their ordinary meaning, mistakenly assume they understand them. Consider all the people who think they really understand the theory of relativity - except for the details. Read more

In this modern age of global commerce, it seems odd that I have been asked to address the topic 'In defence of the corporation'. Even the most ardent critic of the corporation would not take the position that the corporate form should be dismissed as an ill-conceived venture of modernity so that it would be for the better to be rid of it and return to being a nation of artisans. Read more

Martin Wolf is associate editor and chief economics commentator at the Financial Times. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 2000 for services to financial journalism. Read more

It is my pleasure to welcome you to what I am certain will be a stimulating address by Richard Epstein, professor of law at the University of Chicago and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. This is professor Epstein’s fourth visit to New Zealand. Read more

In our view the Draft Report's recommendation that the government engage with the International Energy Agency (IEA) directly over oil security issues is sensible. We consider that the government will be able to do this more effectively if it gathers more information about willingness to pay and if it approaches the issues in a structured manner, using the framework for evaluating regulatory proposals in the Cabinet Manual. Read more

Since 1994 the Fiscal Responsibility Act has been a key element of New Zealand’s framework for sustaining fiscal surpluses and reducing net indebtedness. Bryce Wilkinson reviews New Zealand’s experience with the Act, identifies its strengths and weaknesses, and suggests improvements. Read more