Productivity Unleashed: The $113b 'What-If'

A new series will unpack NZ's productivity problem. (Image: Supplied/NZME/BusinessDesk)

Mon, 04 Aug 2025

In a new series, we’re unpacking New Zealand’s productivity problem, our polite form of capitalism, and the $113b cost of drift, as Dileepa Fonseka explains.When it comes to productivity, New Zealand was at the front of the pack.After World War II, the English-speaking economies of NZ, Australia, the United States and Canada were in better shape than war-torn Europe, and so our country had the third-highest GDP per capita in the world. But the warning signs around future growth were also there. American economist Mancur Ol...

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