Productivity Commission inquiry

A fair chance for all: Breaking the cycle of persistent disadvantage - Productivity Commission inquiry material 2021 - 2023

The Productivity Commission was asked to look at the persistence of disadvantage, influenced by the quality of economic inclusion and social mobility.

The Productivity Commission examined their influence on individuals, different population groups and wider society, and the link to productivity and economic performance to:  

  • generate new insights about the dynamics and drivers of persistent disadvantage, and the incidence/impacts across different population groups, including social and economic factors; and  
  • develop recommendations for actions and system changes to break or mitigate the cycle of disadvantage (both within a person’s lifetime and intergenerationally).

From the Productivity Commission’s unique and specialist perspective it examined why 697,000 New Zealanders experience persistent disadvantage.

The Productivity Commission considered that people who are experiencing persistent disadvantage need to be empowered to influence the decisions that affect their lives. Through more effective support in their communities from people they trust and can hold accountable, and through long-term decisions and actions addressing the underlying causes, persistent disadvantage in Aotearoa New Zealand will steadily reduce over time.

The Productivity Commission’s final report contained 20 findings and 20 recommendations.

The Productivity Commission's pathway forward#

The road map summarises the Productivity Commission’s headline recommendations and its suggested order of priority. These recommendations were intended as a package - interlocking and reinforcing of each other. Its suggested phasing of action is: ‘start now’ (for urgent action), ‘do next’ (a second tranche of actions) and ‘keep moving forward’ (to maintain current progress).

Government response#

The Productivity Commission considered that the Government response was supportive of the findings and recommendations made in its final report, noting that many of the recommendations align with existing work programmes, with others deserving of further investigation.

Timeline#

  • Scoping - 15 June 2021
    • Public engagement
  • Terms of reference - December 2021
  • Interim report - 29 September 2022
    • Public submissions closed - 11 November 2022
    • Summary of submissions - February 2023
  • Final report - 31 May 2023
  • Evaluation - 31 October 2023
  • Government response – 7 September 2023

Key documents#

Final report and Government response#

Terms of reference and initial scoping document#

Terms of Reference: A Fair Chance for All Inquiry
Doc. Date Sort ascending Creator Title
Minister of Finance
New Zealand Productivity Commission
Haemata Limited
Text Ferret
New Zealand Productivity Commission

Research#

Research: A Fair Chance for All Inquiry
Doc. Date Sort ascending Creator Title
Deliberate
Deliberate
Deliberate
New Zealand Institute for Economic Research; Fry, Julie
FrankAdvice
FrankAdvice
New Zealand Institute for Economic Research; Fry, Julie; Wilson, Peter
Victoria University of Wellington; Prickett, Kate C; Paine, Sarah-Jane; Atatoa Carr, Polly; Morton, Susan
New Zealand Productivity Commission
Haemata Limited
Fry, Julie
Fry, Julie

Research (externally hosted)

Interim report#

Interim Report: A Fair Chance for All Inquiry
Doc. Date Sort ascending Creator Title
New Zealand Productivity Commission
Haemata Limited
New Zealand Productivity Commission
New Zealand Productivity Commission

Submissions#

Public submissions on initial inquiry scope - A fair chance for all

Public submissions on interim report - A fair chance for all

Evaluation#

Evaluation: A Fair Chance for All Inquiry
Doc. Date Sort ascending Creator Title
Fischer-Smith, Ruth
New Zealand Productivity Commission