Latest publications / Peter Wilson

The place where talent does not want to live

The intersection of New Zealand immigration and tax policies in a globalising world. Read more

Inflation and migration: Theory, evidence and implications for the Monetary Policy Committee

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand engaged NZIER to undertake a targeted literature review on the relationship between inflation and migration and the implications for monetary policy. Read more

Let it go: Devolving power and resources to improve lives - NZIER working paper 2023/02

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Ki te kotahi te kakaho ka whati, Ki te kapuia e kore e whati: The case for more devolved social services in Te Tairāwhiti

We have known for decades that many people in Aotearoa New Zealand experience persistent disadvantage. Addressing disadvantage should be a priority for the government: to improve the lives of the people affected, meet its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and lay the foundations … Read more

The tale of Goldilocks and the three fears (about the minimum wage) - Insight 96

The minimum wage is a ‘Goldilocks’ policy: not too high, not too low. A political consensus on the role and appropriate level of the minimum wage is both possible and desirable. Read more

Manaakitanga in the age of COVID

Thousands of short-term migrants are trapped in New Zealand due to COVID-19. A series of ad hoc extensions to their visas have allowed them to stay. The Government should apply principles of manaakitanga – hospitality, kindness, generosity, support – and issue these people with a one- … Read more

Picking cherries: Evidence on the effects of temporary and seasonal migrants on the New Zealand economy

A report for the New Zealand Productivity Commission. Read more

Could do better : Migration and New Zealand's frontier firms

A report for the New Zealand Productivity Commission. Read more

Migration after COVID-19 - NZIER Insight 89

New Zealand has put up a 'no entry' sign. As well as stopping international tourism; we have turned off historically high rates of inward economic migration, forgoing what has been at best a small positive impact on GDP per capita. New Zealand closed the border in response to Covid-19 … Read more

NZ's cannabis referendum 2020: Some facts and recommendations about the process of cannabis legalisation

A referendum this year will ask the public whether they support legalising the use of cannabis, accompanied by regulation, education and taxation. We recommended a similar approach in 2016, after concluding that prohibition of cannabis in New Zealand has been an expensive and failed a … Read more

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