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Two weeks ago, New Zealand by Numbers asked whether New Zealand was improving. Our latest report asks a harder question: is it keeping up? Read more

Is New Zealand a country in decline or a quiet success story? A new report from The New Zealand Initiative argues it is neither. Read more

This is The New Zealand Initiative’s 2026 Prescription for Prosperity. Since 2017, the Initiative has prepared a briefing for the incoming government. Read more

A heavy diesel mechanic earns roughly the same as a policy analyst, qualifies in the same time and graduates with little or no debt. Yet most New Zealanders still regard university as superior to industry training and our school qualifications system has quietly reinforced that bias for decades. Read more

A grades are now only a few years away from becoming the most common grade awarded at New Zealand universities. The research note, ‘Fifty Shades of Grades: Grade Compression at New Zealand Universities’, builds on the Initiative's August report, ‘Amazing Grades’, which identified a substantial rise in A grades as well as rising pass rates. Read more

Nearly half of all grades at the University of Auckland were As during COVID-19, part of a dramatic rise in top marks that cannot be explained by academic improvement. Amazing Grades: Grade Inflation at New Zealand Universities, is the first analysis of grading patterns across all eight New Zealand universities. Read more

1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 This submission on the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 2) 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 on the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 2) is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. Read more

Nearly twice as many New Zealand school leavers fall into unemployment compared to those who undertake workplace-based learning, according to a new report released today by The New Zealand Initiative. While 11% of 16-19-year-olds are not in employment, education or training, just 6% participate in workplace-based learning. Read more

This research report provides a detailed and thoroughly documented examination of the state of academic freedom at our universities, together with an analysis of the main threats to academic freedom in this country at present. “We’ve collected 72 testimonies from academics, analysed 5 surveys of academics and students, and written up detailed reports on 21 incidents involving academic freedom that have occurred over the past decade in this country,” explained Dr James Kierstead, Research Fellow at the Initiative and author of the report. Read more