Government is present in most aspects of our lives. It taxes and spends more than a third of our economic output. It employs hundreds of thousands of people. It regulates the way New Zealanders can work, travel, do business, and interact with one another.
Our research focuses on the how the will of Parliament interacts with society, whether legislation is fit for purpose, and whether certain policy settings can be improved.
For examples of our work in this field, read our report on government efficiency Fit for Purpose? (2018), our recommendations for regulatory reform, or Reducing Unnecessary Regulatory Costs(2015).
In making this submission, we have drawn on the research and recommendations in our report, Work in Progress: Why Fair Pay Agreements would be bad for labour (July 2019) (our Report). A copy of our Report is appended to this submission. Read more
Kiwis households are paying more than $3,000 extra on essentials than they were 12 months ago, and policies implemented by the Government and Reserve Bank are contributing to the problem. The rising cost of living for Kiwis, shows New Zealand has the second-highest inflation rate among our major trading partners, besides the USA, and this is plausibly the result of excessive government stimulus. Read more
This submission in response to the Commerce Commission’s (Commission) Residential Building Supplies Market Study Preliminary Issues Paperi is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. In combination, our members employ more than 150,000 people. Read more
Our submission is the Emissions Reduction Plan cannot reduce emissionsunder a binding ETS. The government should have written this paper years ago. Read more
The Initiative undertakes research that contributes to the development of sound public policies in New Zealand and the creation of a competitive, open and dynamic economy and a free, prosperous, fair and cohesive society. The Initiative’s members include two New Zealand supermarket operators, Woolworths New Zealand and Foodstuffs North Island. Read more
New Zealand’s border settings continue to confound. In November last year, even the cautious Ministry of Health advised the Government that MIQ no longer served any useful purpose. Read more
Chelsy Killick talks with Eric Crampton and Oliver Hartwich on the Government’s Emissions Reductions Plan and what it will mean for transport. To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
There’s an old adage that one should buy stocks not on new news, but on the rumour of it. By the time whatever it is is news, everyone will know it, and the effects will be priced in. Read more
Eric Crampton talks to Thomas Coughlan, senior political journalist, NZ Herald on what should be in the budget 2022. Read more
One key to happiness is not letting your expectations run ahead of what is possible, as that only leads to disappointment. But what has been announced thus far makes for a depressing Budget Day. Read more