Reconceptualising prosperity
Charles Waldegrave
Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit, New Zealand
Contact Email:   waldegrave.cfc.org.nz

The social and economic policy transformations in OECD countries during the last thirty years, are no more sharply illustrated than in New Zealand. After pioneering the welfare state in the 1930s, New Zealand had the dubious distinction of substantially dismantling it fifty years later in response to its economic crisis. In the process it created inequality at a higher rate than any other OECD country. With the arrival of the new millennium, it has experienced substantial economic growth and very low unemployment, and effectively begun to decrease inequalities, reduce child poverty and create a new social and economic policy balance in its pursuit of prosperity.

The New Zealand narrative vividly illustrates the impacts on families when economic policies are pursued bereft of substantial social policies, and the differences for them when the benefits of economic growth are invested in improved social outcomes. The paper will illustrate, with quantitative and qualitative data sets, the incidence and severity of poverty that emerged during the 90s and the current available data on the new social and redistributive approach in the new millennium. It will refer to the changes in key policy areas associated with wellbeing like housing, health, income distribution and labour markets

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