The NZBR has been a longstanding advocate of fundamental reform of the Accident Compensation Scheme. It is a major policy programme with a significant impact on New Zealand's international competitiveness, the capacity of the economy to grow and create jobs, and individual well-being. Read more
The general analysis on which our comments are based is an NZBR study, Retirement Income Provision, which sought to address the retirement income issue in a comprehensive way. The central finding of this study was that the future welfare of retired New Zealanders is fundamentally dependent on an increased output of goods and services from the economy. Read more
Fighting inflation is and should be a primary goal of the Reserve Bank. Inflation decreases the incentive to save, misallocates resources, interacts with the tax system in pernicious ways, distorts the information conveyed by market prices, increases uncertainty, and redistributes income arbitrarily. Read more
Several countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and now New Zealand, are trying to introduce elements of competition into their publicly-financed health care systems. These initiatives are constrained by the fear that moving from a predominantly public monopoly towards competitive private insurance will necessarily unleash all the evils of the United States health care system - relentless cost inflation, vast disparities in access to care and deprivation of the poor. Read more
This collection of speeches and articles is the third in a series produced by the New Zealand Business Roundtable. The material in this volume is concerned with New Zealand's economic future. Read more
The NZBR has participated in reviews of New Zealand's disaster insurance arrangements because of the importance which it attaches to the establishment of an adequate set of policies to mitigate the economic consequences of a major disaster. Risk management techniques such as disaster insurance form part of this set of policies. Read more
The New Zealand Business Roundtable has published a number of studies on various aspects of New Zealand's welfare state aimed at promoting reforms which would: improve the quality, responsiveness and cost-effectiveness of social services. The real value of every dollar spent on social services, whether by individual New Zealanders directly or by the government on their behalf, could be increased by allowing greater freedom of choice in consumption and increased competition in delivery; reduce the pressure of the welfare state on the government's budget. Read more
Recent reviews of New Zealand education have made a strong case for greater decentralisation of education administration and self-management of individual public schools. The changes recommended include the establishment of local boards of trustees, agreed charters for each school and the deregulation of decision making over school operations. Read more
Scientific findings on the 'greenhouse' hypothesis are much less certain than implied in the paper prepared by officials. There is no agreement among scientists as to the existence or potential severitty of the hypothesised effect. Read more
This report reviews and evaluates the options for changing the financing and delivery of health care in New Zealand. Our analysis is motivated by widespread dissatisfaction with the level and quality of services produced by the current system, and particularly by the public hospitals. Read more
This report looks into more efficient and equitable means of reducing the potential for discrimination in employment relations. Read more
This study uses a comparative approach in order to identify priorities for social security and welfare reform in New Zealand. Read more