New Zealand

Ilan Noy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington With New Zealand’s May 14 budget expected to chart the way out of the economic crisis, Finance Minister Grant Robertson should be looking to the past as well as the future. Finance ministers elsewhere are facing similar decisions, many even more constrained than New Zealand’s. But the common claim that …

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no such thing as business as usual. To find out how businesses on the ground in Asia are working in a new environment, last week, the Asia New Zealand Foundation surveyed more than 100 of its business stakeholders across Asia, from Cambodia to South Korea. In this quick snapshot, entrepreneurs and business people gave their …

Phil Goff speaks with Tim McCready about the impact of Covid-19 on Auckland’s infrastructure plans.   In February this year, Auckland Council was focused on the challenges ahead of a city enjoying relentless growth: building transport infrastructure to relieve traffic congestion, coping with the highest ever level of building consents, and dealing with environmental issues including water quality and climate …

Dave Heatley, Principal Advisor, Productivity Commission   “Shut the borders” is a natural first reaction to an external threat. It makes a lot of sense in the early stages of a pandemic, when those arriving at the border are more likely to be infected than those within the country. But what if that’s no longer the situation? After a country …

Sabrina Seeler, Nord University and Michael Lueck, Auckland University of Technology Until a trans-Tasman travel bubble is established, there is little doubt the New Zealand tourism industry will rely entirely on domestic travel post-COVID-19. Without underplaying the impact the pandemic will have on discretionary spending in both countries, however, there may be a silver lining to the crisis. New Zealand …

Social cohesion is critical to our recovery. He Oranga Hou: Social cohesion in a post-COVID world is the second discussion paper in the Koi Tū: The Future is Now Conversation Series. Written by Prof Paul Spoonley, Sir Peter Gluckman, Anne Bardsley, Prof Tracey McIntosh, Rangimarie Hunia, Sarb Johal and Prof Richie Poulton, it examines our collective unity – rarely seen …

Hassan Vally, La Trobe University To understand the spread of COVID-19, the pandemic is more usefully viewed as a series of distinct local epidemics. The way the virus has spread in different countries, and even in particular states or regions within them, has been quite varied. A New Zealand study has mapped the coronavirus epidemic curve for 25 countries and …

Infrastructure NZ’s Paul Blair tells Tim McCready that infrastructure investment and construction will play a major role in New Zealand’s economic recovery programme – but central and local government collaboration is required to make it happen. Infrastructure NZ – New Zealand’s peak infrastructure body representing 140 public and private sector industry members – says the Government’s response for the infrastructure …

Urban geographer and spatial planner Ben Ross looks at whether a department of public works has merit in the 21st century. Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones was recently quoted (Newsroom, April 2020) that New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) will no longer be just managing contracts. He also said that NZTA and KiwiRail should be allowed to self-consent projects under $20m. This …

Tony Walker, La Trobe University Australia’s relationship with China is fractured. Arguably, this is the worst moment in Sino-Australian relations since Gough Whitlam normalised ties on his election in December 1972. The Chinese saying “kill the chicken to frighten the monkey” would seem applicable in Beijing’s reaction to Australia’s push for an investigation into the operations of the World Health …