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 …
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The coronavirus survival challenge for NZ tourism: affordability & sustainability
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 …
Read More »He Oranga Hou: Social cohesion in a post-COVID world
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 …
Read More »In a new world, new thinking is required: Sir Roger Douglas and Professor Robert MacCulloch
In their new paper ‘In a new world, new thinking is required’, Hon Sir Roger Douglas and Professor Robert MacCulloch argue the prioritisation of resources is crucial to New Zealand’s economic recovery in the wake of Covid-19. They argue that New Zealand can either “muddle through as we are – relying on policies that haven’t worked since the 1950s and …
Read More »View from The Hill: Changing dependency on China easier said than done
Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra After the COVID crisis, what will be the “new normal” in Australia’s relations with China? The short answer is, probably both worse and more complicated than pre-COVID. This week has seen a fresh low point, with the Chinese government threatening economic retribution in response to the Morrison government’s call for an independent international inquiry into …
Read More »6 countries, 6 curves: how nations that moved fast against COVID-19 avoided disaster
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 …
Read More »Central-local urban growth partnerships needed for Covid-19 response
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 …
Read More »Does a Department of Public Works have a place in the 21st century?
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 …
Read More »China-Australia relations hit new low in spat over handling of Coronavirus
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 …
Read More »China and the COVID-19 Backlash
As the human and economic cost of the COVID-19 epidemic continues to reveal itself across the globe, in some quarters the blame game has already begun. Liam Finnigan suggests now is not the time to beat any drum demanding China take responsibility for the pandemic. In what initially appeared to be a casual interview on TV3’s AM Show, the US …
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