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 how the will of Parliament interacts with society, whether legislation is fit for purpose, and whether certain policy settings can be improved.
The actions of previous political administrations can inspire current and future governments. But if they are based more on myth than reality, the risk creating false impressions that can lead to poor public policy.
New Zealand has one of the most complex systems of executive government in the developed world. With 81 ministerial portfolios, 28 ministers and 43 departments, we have three times as many portfolios and nearly twice as many departments as comparable countries. Read more
1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 This submission on the Employment Relations Amendment Bill (the Bill) is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative is pleased to submit our comprehensive response to the Government’s Going for Housing Growth Discussion Document focusing on Pillar 1 proposals. This submission represents our analysis of how the proposed reforms can best achieve the stated objective of enabling competitive urban land markets to restore housing affordability in New Zealand. Read more
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This submission to the Inquiry into online harms is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. Read more
1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 This submission responds to the Ministry for the Environment's public consultation on proposed changes to National Policy Statements (NPSs) and National Environmental Standards (NESs) under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). Read more
Tell someone in an Auckland café that the economy is booming and they will laugh. Unemployment in the city is 6.1 per cent. Read more
In November 2023, National, Act, and New Zealand First announced the coalition agreements that formed their government. One item stood out, at least for me. Read more
When housing policy is split among more than six ministers, who is responsible when the affordability crisis drags on year after year? The Minister of Housing? Read more
Nick Mills discussed The New Zealand Initiative's report on government reform with Rt Hon Chris Hipkins on Newstalk ZB, focusing on our recommendations to reduce the number of government departments and ministerial portfolios. The Leader of the Opposition expressed sympathy for the Initiative's main point about convoluted relationships between departments and ministers, acknowledging merit in their research despite often disagreeing with their reports, and indicated he would consider such restructuring if Labour wins the next election. Read more
Roger Partridge talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about The New Zealand Initiative's report proposing consolidating New Zealand's fragmented public service structure. Partridge outlined a three-step plan to streamline government by reducing ministerial portfolios from 81 to 15-20, creating junior minister roles, and consolidating departments from 43 to around 20, similar to peer nations like Ireland and Norway. Read more