Australian workers produce in 39 minutes what a New Zealand worker produces in an hour. We need to do better

Dr Oliver Hartwich
NZ Herald
23 July, 2026

A fortnight ago, I wrote in these pages about the fall in New Zealand’s road toll, from 843 deaths in 1973 to a provisional 271 last year. I thought it was an achievement worth celebrating.

But then my colleague Bryce Wilkinson and I put the same numbers beside those of 28 other countries. It puts this achievement into perspective.

To read the article on the NZ Herald website, click here.

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