New Zealand’s future productivity to 2050

Governance has a critical role to play in addressing New Zealand’s productivity challenges , notably in the context of “return on capital” as described in our top 5 issues for directors in 2025.

Enabling productivity was a topic in our 2024 top five issues for directors and finding innovative was to improve remains a key challenge for many boards and their organisations. 

In our submission to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s joint exploration of productivity, we argue boards can play a central role in improving New Zealand’s productivity through supporting and promoting innovation, fostering talent and strengthening stakeholder engagement. Strategic investment in technology is also likely to play a role.

The submission was made for a ‘Long-term Insights Briefing on New Zealand’s future productivity to 2050: global trends, domestic factors, strategic choices’. Long-term Insights Briefings are a requirement of all government departments under the Public Service Act. They are ‘think pieces’, designed to explore medium- to long-term trends and the risks and opportunities they present to New Zealand.

You can read our submission below.

View submission