Research Projects
Tackling Poverty NZ
Exploring ways to tackle poverty in New Zealand
The Tackling Poverty NZ research project aims to contribute to a national conversation on how to reduce poverty in New Zealand.
The diagram below maps our Tackling Poverty NZ publications, bringing together the outputs of our 2016 regional workshops and other research from throughout 2017.
Latest publication
Submission – New Zealand Productivity Commission: A fair chance for all: Breaking the cycle of persistent disadvantage (November 2022)
This submission offers some of the Institute’s insights from undertaking a three-day workshop in collaboration with the New Zealand Treasury in 2015, which resulted in a number of observations, reflections, and recommendations made by 36 participants (aged 18 to 25) on how Aotearoa New Zealand might tackle poverty. Many of the participants came from challenging backgrounds and had experienced poverty.
Past initiatives
Tackling Poverty NZ 2015 Workshop
The Tackling Poverty NZ workshop was a three-day workshop undertaken by the McGuinness Institute in collaboration with the New Zealand Treasury in December 2015. The workshop brought together 36 New Zealanders between the ages of 18 and 25 to explore ways to reduce poverty in New Zealand. To see the final presentation by the 36 participants or videos of workshop speakers, please watch the Institute’s YouTube TacklingPovertyNZ Playlist. The primary output from the workshop was a booklet outlining participants’ observations, reflections and recommendations for how New Zealand might tackle poverty. See the workshop booklet.
Tackling Poverty NZ 2016 Regional Tour
One of the observations made by participants at the 2015 TacklingPovertyNZ workshop was that poverty in New Zealand is too complex an issue to be overcome with a blanket solution. Instead, solutions must be sought at a local level to acknowledge that poverty has vastly differing consequences for people in different areas of New Zealand. This observation has led to the TacklingPovertyNZ events – a series of one-day workshops around New Zealand to provide a platform for local voices to address the issue of poverty in their region.
Assorted publications
See a selection of our latest research and publications related to TacklingPovertyNZ below.
WellbeingNZ Proposal in response to The Generator
Think Piece 26 – Doing Something About Poverty in New Zealand
Working Paper 2017/01 – TacklingPovertyNZ 2016 Tour: Methodology, results and observations
TacklingPovertyNZ: the nature of poverty in New Zealand and ways to address it
Newsletter
Newsletter
In order to contribute to a national conversation about poverty, we previously published a regular TacklingPovertyNZ newsletter. Read past issues of the TacklingPovertyNZ newsletter.
If you are interested in following our work, the annual McGuinness Institute newsletter discusses recent research and events related to tackling poverty, alongside other projects; it is an annual update for interested parties covering events since the last newsletter and our plans for the rest of the year. You can subscribe to receive the McGuinness Institute annual newsletter.
Resources
Books
Wealth and New Zealand
BWB Texts – Max Rashbrooke, 2015
The Child Poverty Debate: Myths, Misconceptions and Misunderstandings
BWB Texts – Jonathon Boston and Simon Chapple, 2015
The Inequality Debate: An Introduction
BWB Texts – Max Rashbrooke, 2014
Growing Apart: Regional Prosperity in New Zealand
BWB Texts – Shamubeel Eaqub, 2014
The Piketty Phenomenon: New Zealand Perspectives
BWB Texts – Multiple contributors, 2014
Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet
Earthscan – Tim Jackson, 2009
Watch online
TalentNZ: Creating a place where talent wants to live – the journey
McGuinness Institute – September 2015
Understanding Social Mobility
Brookings Institution – August 2014
The case for letting business solve social problems [New]
Professor Michael Porter, 2013
Forums for the future: Closing the Gap between Rich and Poor
Te Papa – Nana et al. October 2012
Consequences of Inequality (retrieved from http://www.closingthegap.org.nz/consequences-of-inequality/)
Closing the Gap – Richard Wilkinson, 2011
A place where talent wants to live
McGuinness Institute – Sir Paul Callaghan, April 2011
The story we tell about poverty isn’t true
TEDtalks – Mia Birdsong, May 2015
The New Haves and Have Nots
TVNZ – Nigel Latta, July 2014
Mind the Gap (retrieved from http://www.tv3.co.nz/INSIDE-NEW-ZEALAND-Mind-The-Gap/tabid/3692/articleID/94816/MCat/3061/Default.aspx)
TV3 – Inside New Zealand, August 2013
Read online
Ministry of Social Development – Bryan Perry, August 2015
Economic Survey of New Zealand 2015
OECD – June 2015
Child Material Hardship Report
Ministry of Social Development – Bryan Perry, May 2015
New Zealand General Social Survey: 2014 (retrieved from http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/Households/nzgss_HOTP2014.aspx)
Statistics New Zealand – May 2015
Recent Wealth and Income Trends in New Zealand
Salvation Army – Alan Johnson, February 2015
Income Mobility in New Zealand: A Descriptive Analysis (retrieved from http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/wp/2014/14-15/)
The New Zealand Treasury – Kristie Carter, Penny Mok and Trinh Le, November 2014
Regulatory Impact Statement for Minimum Wage Review 2013 (retrieved from http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/informationreleases/ris/pdfs/ris-mbie-mmw-feb14.pdf)
Ministry of Business and Innovation – February 2014
Relief of poverty (retrieved from https://www.charities.govt.nz/apply-for-registration/charitable-purpose/relief-of-poverty-examples-of-wording-for-purpose-clauses/)
Charities Services – 2012
The Living Standards Framework
The New Zealand Treasury – June 2012
SSIR newsletter on measuring pathways out of poverty
Peter Manzo – December 2015 (recommended by David Rutherford)
Child Poverty in New Zealand (retrieved from https://www.unicef.org.nz/learn/our-work-in-new-zealand/Child-Poverty-in-New-Zealand)
Unicef New Zealand – October 2015
Richard Gere goes incognito as homeless man
Stuff.co.nz – October 2015
Robert Reich on Why Capitalism Needs Saving
Rolling Stone – Mike Konczal, October 2015
It’s not a lack of self-control that keeps people poor
The Conversation – Elliot Berkman, September 2015
BROKE
SB Nation – Spencer Hall, September 2015
Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations – September 2015
A glimpse into homelessness in West Auckland
Salvation Army – Reina Tuai Harris, August 2015
MBIE’s Pacific Economic Strategy 2015-2021 (retrieved from http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/infrastructure-growth/pacific-economic-development/documents-image-library/mbie-pacific-economic-strategy.pdf)
Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment – 2015
National Drug Policy 2015 to 2020
Ministry of Health – August 2015
Inequality in New Zealand 1983/84 to 2013/14 (retrieved from http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/wp/2015/15-06)
The New Zealand Treasury – Christopher Ball and John Creedy, June 2015
An overview of New Zealand’s Housing (retrieved from http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/Housing%20briefing%20paper%20-%20May15%20CPAG.pdf)
Child Poverty Action Group – Alan Johnson, May 2015
Mixed Fortunes – The Geography of Advantage and Disadvantage in New Zealand
The Salvation Army – Alan Johnson, May 2015
On a Plate
The Wireless – Toby Morris, May 2015
“Goldblog” Searches related to poverty
Paul Goldsmith – 2015
Working for Families Changes: The effect on the labour supply in New Zealand
The New Zealand Treasury – Penny Mok and Joseph Mercante, November 2014
The Role of Value Judgements in Measuring Inequality
The New Zealand Treasury – John Creedy and Jesse Eedrah, November 2014
Our children, our choice: priorities for policy
Child Poverty Action Group – Edited by M. Claire Dale, Mike O’Brien and Susan St John, September 2014
Te Kupenga 2013
Statistics New Zealand – May 2014
Society at a Glance 2014 Highlights: New Zealand OECD Social Indicators
OECD – March 2014
Child Poverty in New Zealand: Building on progress to date
Expert Advisory Group on Child Poverty – October 2013
Government Response to the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty
Beehive – May 2013
Solutions to Child Poverty in New Zealand – Evidence for Action
Children’s Commission – Expert Advisory Group, December 2012
Report of an investigation into defining a living wage for New Zealand
Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit – Peter King and Charles Waldegrave, December 2012
Reducing Child Poverty in Māori Whānau (retrieved from http://www.occ.org.nz/assets/Uploads/EAG/Working-papers/No-14-Reducing-poverty-in-Maori-children.pdf)
Solutions to Child Poverty – Expert Advisory Group, August 2012
Public Perceptions of Poverty and Social Exclusion: Final Report on Focus Group Findings (retrieved from http://www.poverty.ac.uk/system/files/attachments/WP_Analysis_No3_Focus-groups_Fahmy-Pemberton-Sutton.pdf)
Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK research project – Eldin Fahmy, Simon Pemberton and Eileen Sutton, August 2012
Inquiry into the determinants of wellbeing for Māori children (retrieved from http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/Submissions/Submission_WellbeingOfMaoriChildren.pdf)
Child Poverty Action Group – 2012
2010: The Social Report
Ministry of Social Development – October 2010
Poverty, Income Inequality and Health
The New Zealand Treasury – Ken Judge and Iain Paterson, January 2001