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  • Human Rights, Environment Obligations, and Ethical Investment: Aotearoa New Zealand is Going Down the Wrong Path

     Dr Robert Howell

    1 Introduction and Summary

    A considerable portion of the world’s investments are unethical in that they have inadequate regard for the welfare of people and/or the planet. They invest in companies that abuse workers’ or other stakeholders rights.  Their activities destroy our environment.  Very few companies are fully fossil-free, or operate within ecological boundaries.  One of the reasons for this is that the term ethical investing is defined by such unvalidated concepts as ESG, or responsible.

    Read more: Human Rights, Environment Obligations, and Ethical Investment: Aotearoa New Zealand is Going Down...

  • Should the Reserve Bank target unemployment as well as inflation? Will the new government abolish the dual mandate?

    Back in 1989 – near the end of the fourth Labour government – the inflation-busting Reserve Bank Act was passed. Labour has shifted well away from the Rogernomics of that decade, and in 2021 Grant Robertson added maximum sustainable employment to the bank’s mandate - with the support of coalition partner NZ First.

    Our Reserve Bank joined a powerful grouping of central banks that have dual targets, including the US Federal Reserve, the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank.

    Going into the 2023 election, National and Act committed to a return to the 1989 objective. Will they take us out of the mainstream and into a straitjacket rather than a life-jacket?  And how does it square with their stated aim of getting people off the dole and back to work?

    Coverage can be found here

  • The next three years – the job ahead for Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori

    The Fabians had a session on Nov 14th reflecting on the elections. Our panel of Simon Wilson, Senior Writer at NZ Herald, Bridie Witton, Stuff Press Gallery Reporter and Ollie Neas, freelance writer used the election results as a springboard to target some of the key issues for Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori as they head into opposition.

    Coverage can be found here

  • Rob Campbell on Pae Ora Health Reforms

    Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Pae Ora health reforms with you.

    Since I was sacked by the Health Minister I have taken time to reflect on the experience and to make a considered assessment of what I learned in the process. My intention tonight is to share that with you, making the assumption that we share common ground in wanting to have an effective, efficient, excellent and equitable public health service.

    If anyone does not want that, I don’t really have anything useful to share with you.

    Read more: Rob Campbell on Pae Ora Health Reforms

The Fabian Society has organised the seminar to provide a forum for discussion of ideas on how we as a nation can improve our productivity and our long-term economic prospects. Metiria Turei MP and Grant Robertson MP are the sponsoring MPs and all political parties have been offered the chance to speak to the topic.

 

Speakers confirmed from outside Parliament include:

Selwyn Pellett, of the Productive Economy Council

June McCabe, of Sustainable Prosperity & member of the Maori Economic Taskforce

Rick Boven, of the New Zealand Institute

Bernard Hickey, of interest.co.nz

Gareth Morgan, of Gareth Morgan Investments

John Walley, of the Manufacturers and Exporters Association

Geoff Bertram, of the Institute of Policy Studies

Rhema Vaithianathan, an economist from Auckland University

The seminar will be facilitated by Finlay MacDonald and is sponsored by Scoop.co.nz.

 

Admission to the seminar is by invitation only. Persons wishing to receive an invitation should log their interest in the panel on the right.

 

"Ten years on, New Zealand's economic performance is still not up to scratch. Much of New Zealand's export performance is still dominated by commodity exports. Fonterra's exports of safe milk powder to China have obviously helped underpin the economy in the post-global financial crisis era. But where are the big raft of high-tech and service companies that should also be spearheading New Zealand's overseas performance and providing young New Zealanders the opportunity to work from here?"

Fran O'Sullivan in the NZ Herald, Wednesday 8 June

 

"New Zealand has to lift the income it earns from deploying its labour and capital, or alternatively just put up with a continued slide in income relative to other countries. Choosing the latter underpins brain drain and we become little more than a retirement village for returning expats, and a low income home for the rest. Choosing the former requires a revolution in our tax, welfare and regulatory policies."

Gareth Morgan in the NZ Herald Tuesday 7 June

 

These two perspectives  summarise the key themes for discussion and debate at the upcoming Fabian seminar in Wellington on 27th July. Presentations from well-known investors, entrepreneurs, academics and comentators will set the scene.

New Zealanders are not lazy or without ideas. New Zealand lags because much of our investment is tied up in housing and farm property, and is not productive enough. We need to improve productivity; and this means more productive investment. Price is important, so is allocation of capital which depends to some extent on policy.

Obstacles we face are skill shortages, tyranny of distance, and a volatile exchange rate. But the opportunities are immense if we focus our combined efforts. It would be really great if all political parties worked together to set out a complementary series of policies and offer a practical range of solutions to secure our economic future.

The latest programme information may be found here.