Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa

Better taxes Promoting ideas for better, fairer taxes - for the public good + a better future

Sign the petition, read the report, join the campaign.

www.bettertaxes.nz

The govt needs to pursue these big corporations for the tax they owe, to generate more revenue to fund our hospitals, pay our teachers, build the infrastructure we need, & respond to the challenges of climate change, poverty & inequality. We shouldn’t be letting billionaire tech giants off the hook.

We're proud to be part of the Better Taxes coalition. Yesterday we put out research showing the largest tech companies are making billions of $$$ in NZ, but are paying very little tax.

Volunteering New Zealand reports that NZers contribute c. 159 million hours of formal volunteer labour each year. Our community's wellbeing is richer for these contributions.

This week is National Volunteering Week.

The time and energy people put into caring for each other and te taiao, as well as volunteering, is not counted in the way we currently measure the economy with GDP.

A Future Generations Act is the antithesis of the Regulatory Standards Bill.

Instead of entrenching short-termism, a Future Gens Act would embed intergenerational wellbeing in public decision-making.

We're so excited to be working on this, read more here: www.weall.org.nz/future-gener...

Neoclassical economists be like "what externalities?"

Cartoon by Jon Adams @citycyclops

#wellbeingeconomy #capitalism #neoliberalism

They paved paradise to put up a parking lot

Verity Johnson: ‘Running the country like a household’ is a political con OPINION: Government knows there’s nothing similar between household borrowing and government borrowing. But it also knows that you don’t know that.

Government budgets and household budgets work very differently.

As Verity Johnson sharply calls out, “In a very literal sense, this metaphor is whack.”

Pay equity changes: 'People's select committee' formed to gather evidence instead of 'high-flying cliches' Former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring has gathered a group of female former MPs to look into the changes.

Politics aside, pay equity matters.

This is powerful, pan-political leadership. And we love to see it.

It seems almost certain that the lion’s share of investment in new assets would have happened anyway. For firms that would have purchased new machinery even without the policy, the 20 per cent deduction is a pure gift.

While boosting productivity is a commendable goal, we have big doubts this policy will achieve it. Despite the $34b it will cost, it will only boost GDP 1% over 20 years.

#Budget2025

Image of earth from space. Tile reads Earth overshoot day. 30 April 2025. Today marks the day where people in New Zealand will have used more from nature than our planet can renew in the whole year.

Today, April 30, 2025, marks Aotearoa New Zealand's Earth Overshoot Day-the date when our resource consumption surpasses what the planet can regenerate in a year if everyone lived like us. This places us three months ahead of the global average, underscoring the urgency for change.

Winning essay: Deliberating on a future for democracy in NZ Anzac Day commemorates those who fought for our democracy. Now, the winner of the inaugural Rod Oram Memorial Essay Prize asks, is it time to reconsider how we do democracy?

What if democracy sounded less like a shouting match, and more like a conversation?

“Rather than shouting in the streets or arguing on the internet, deliberative democracy helps people to see one another as members of their community.”

newsroom.co.nz/2025/04/26/m...

#deliberativedemocracy

Did they audience test it with AI?

IMF declares global economic reset: Now is the time to embrace a Wellbeing Economy — WEAll Aotearoa - Wellbeing Economy Alliance NZ By Gareth Hughes, Director Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa The International Monetary Fund’s April 2025 World Economic Outlook is a stark reminder of the fragile foundations of our current e...

A future where economic and business success is aligned with environmental sustainability, social equity and community prosperity.

It’s the quality of economic activity that matters, not the quantity.

Read Gareth's full piece on our website here: www.weall.org.nz/news/imf-glo...

As our director Gareth Hughes sets out, in many ways, the IMF is still speaking the language of a bygone era, one that equates progress solely with GDP.

We believe it’s time to move from a narrow focus on economic growth to a broader, balanced vision of wellbeing.

Slower global growth (2.8% projected for 2025) driven by rising trade tensions, policy uncertainty, and global instability signals more than a downturn — it signals a deeper need for change.

The IMF's latest WEO report is a stark reminder of the fragile foundations of our current economic system.

The IMF states the system which has 'operated for the last 80 years is being reset, ushering the world into a new era. Existing rules are challenged while new ones are yet to emerge.’

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Oral submission in support of the Right to Repair legislation — WEAll Aotearoa - Wellbeing Economy Alliance NZ We support the right to repair  One of the great ironies of our current economy is that we have generated a highly materialistic culture that does not seem able to actually value materials.&nbs...

One of the great ironies of our current economy is that we have generated a highly materialistic culture that does not seem able to actually value materials - the right to repair is a good step towards a more circular, regenerative economy.

www.weall.org.nz/news/right-t...

Come yarn with us!

Brilliant minds + snacks + casual drinks = low-key economic think tank x hangout.

RSVP here: weall.org.nz/events

Ps we are planning more events around the motu. Please send us a message if you are interested in co-hosting one in your town.

Neoliberalism - leave it in the 80s. Join the movement to reshape our economic system. 40 years ago this week, Rogernomics brought neoliberalism to New Zealand and today, it just isn’t delivering…

Our current economic system is not here by default. It is the result of deliberate policy choices made 40 years ago.

Like many things in the ‘80s, we think some of these policies are in need of a refresh.