Published in Insights, The New Zealand Initiative’s newsletter, 24 July 2015
If you believe political pundits, New Zealand will go to the polls in late 2017. It could well be an election fought on personalities rather than on substance. It could once again be about sensational headlines rather than dealing with long-term challenges and opportunities.
In short, it could be like any other election campaign.
But it does not have to be that way.
At The New Zealand Initiative, we believe the 2017 election should be about policies to make New Zealand a better country.
This week we released our research programme which will guide us through the next couple of years. As you can see in the document, we will examine a wide range of issues that matter to all New Zealanders.
These are issues that politicians should discuss with their electorates. And these are issues each electorate should discuss with their prospective representatives.
We have also produced a short video explaining the approaches behind some of our projects.
Our forthcoming reports will add to the substantial body of research The New Zealand Initiative has already produced in its first three years. Over the next two years, The New Zealand Initiative will focus on the following three major public policy areas: education, local government and social policy.
Other areas of research include earthquake policy responses, controls on the digital economy, health regulation, zero-percent student loans, as well as immigration and population growth.
Together, our past and future reports will form the basis of a handbook outlining The New Zealand Initiative’s recommendations in key policy areas and presented to the next Parliament.
We invite you to join the conversation and contribute to our research. Please get in touch with our team and let us know your views.
Thank you for your interest in our work. Together, we can contribute to a more informed and constructive debate ahead of the next election. We believe this is essential for New Zealand to achieve its vast potential and improve the lives of its citizens.
