Tēnā koe
I’m pleased to present the Commission’s Annual Report for the 2022–2023 year – another busy and productive one for Commissioners and staff.
For me, this year has been marked by an acknowledgement of the intrinsic link between people, place, and productivity, reinforcing the importance of taking a long-term approach to investment in innovation, technology, infrastructure, people, and our environment to lift productivity and improve wellbeing.
We continue to lift our sights to encapsulate a broader view of productivity and the importance of focusing on the long-term to lift productivity to improve wellbeing. Critical in this task is the foundation of all productive and economic activity – the nature and quality of resources.
We have applied this lens and the need to take a long-term perspective in our work this year, and this has been a strong theme throughout the reports we have published. The findings and recommendations made in the final reports for our A Fair Chance for All inquiry, and Frontier Firms Follow-on Review, and the narrative in our Productivity by the numbers 2023 report send a strong message that productivity matters for wellbeing. But productivity requires a long-term commitment – innovation and technological change with appropriate investment efforts to drive growth.
Taking a long-term view of productivity, aligned with substantial and sustained investment effort in the resources we hold under our watch – bricks and mortar infrastructure, our people, communities, knowledge, creativity, and learning – fits well with a kaitiaki, or guardianship perspective on our nation’s resources or assets.
We use this kaitiaki perspective to guide us in our work to advocate for more meaningful and long-term investment to lift the country’s productivity record.
Recognising our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we have continued our journey to uphold the mana of te Tiriti. We are building an organisational culture that embeds a te ao Māori worldview in our engagement and ways of working. Embracing te ao Māori perspectives in our mahi is vital to ensuring our advice reflects the views and interests of all New Zealanders.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to my fellow Commissioners and staff for their contribution to all that we have achieved during the past year. I also express my gratitude to the many communities, organisations, agencies, and businesses that have engaged with us. Your valuable input and feedback have enriched our research and reports, helping to generate debate and discussion. I am proud of the very high quality of the research and reports we have published this year, which I hope will influence policy change and decision making.
Armed with a deep understanding of the interplay between productivity, people, and place, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advocate for the importance of taking a long-term perspective to productivity and wellbeing. Our work on development of our organisational strategy that sets the direction for our future work programme positions us well to face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.
I look forward to 2024 to deliver a work programme towards achievement of our strategic objectives, enabling us to realise our vision to lift productivity and improve the wellbeing of current and future generations of New Zealanders.
Ngā mihi nui,
Dr Ganesh Nana
Chair
New Zealand Productivity Commission Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa October 2023