Solving NZ’s productivity woes requires patient investment

Productivity Commission chair Ganesh Nana says investing in productivity is not a 'nice to have' for calm times. (Image: Productivity Commission)

Jem Traylen

Tue, 04 Jul 2023

The Productivity Commission says lifting productivity requires sustained long-term investment instead of looking for quick and easy fixes.The commission released the fourth iteration of its Productivity by the numbers report on Monday showing that New Zealand’s economic performance has changed very little from when it produced its first assessment in 2013.In recent decades, output per capita has been keeping pace with or even exceeding the growth seen in other advanced economies – some of this is due to improving terms of trade, but...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

The Quiz Free

QuiznessDesk, Wednesday, Oct 01

Think you're clever enough?

The Quizmaster 9:15am

Policy

Energy reforms: govt waves the chequebook

Crown backing for new generation, power company capital-raising and LNG outlined.

Pattrick Smellie 8:00am

Energy reforms: govt waves the chequebook

Finance

KiwiRail targets earnings jump in ‘sluggish’ economy

Operating earnings improved in most segments, other than ferry services.

Pattrick Smellie 5:00am

KiwiRail targets earnings jump in ‘sluggish’ economy

Sponsored

Fiji’s exclusive side revealed

Private islands and 5-star luxury, closer than you think.

Tourism Fiji

Sponsored

The double edge of AI in cyber security

Artificial intelligence has the potential to become both a lifeline and a liability for modern organisations, as a revolutionary tool capable of spotting threats at lightning speed, but also the ultimate weapon in the hands of cybercriminals.

Spark

More Economy

Economy

BNZ cuts one-year fixed mortgage rate below 4.5%

BNZ has cut its one-year fixed home loan rate to a market-leading 4.49%.The 26-basis-point (bps) cut, effective from Tuesday, is the lowest standard advertised rate among the major banks.The lowest one-year rate currently offered by ASB, ANZ, Westpac and Kiwibank is 4.75%.Karna L...

Staff reporters 30 Sep 2025