Wellbeing and policy in New Zealand: From a wellbeing framework to a government-wide approach

Abstract

This chapter summarises the modern state of wellbeing and public policy in New Zealand. The evolution of New Zealand’s wellbeing approach to policy is explained, key learnings from the process are discussed, and specific action points to further wellbeing and public policy in New Zealand and around the world are suggested. New Zealand often ranks in or near the top 10 nations on international wellbeing metrics and is often looked to as one of the leaders in wellbeing policy. In 2011, the New Zealand Treasury reinterpreted its goal to that of promoting the wellbeing of New Zealanders - publishing the Living Standards Framework, a new model of wellbeing for policy-making. Progress on this was greatly aided in 2018 when a change in government brought with it an explicit wellbeing approach to the national budget and reporting processes, much of which was codified into new laws. The Living Standards Framework and its associated wellbeing tools have continued to evolve. Key innovations include an interactive dashboard of wellbeing data and a wellbeing Cost Benefit Analysis tool that covers many domains and indicators of wellbeing. This has resulted in greater collaboration between government agencies and more transparent reporting on the inner workings and results of public policies. But more could be done, including taking environmental concerns more seriously, fixing data gaps, reporting on wellbeing data more frequently, further training and teamwork for policy-makers, and setting up a citizens assembly on wellbeing and public policy.