Become a member
The New Zealand Initiative engages business leaders in public policy debates
Our membership is diverse. It unites business leaders with a broad range of experience, connections and views. Members meet regularly to connect with each other and also to engage with high-profile guest speakers.
At our bi-monthly members’ meetings and lunches, we receive updates from senior politicians and opinion leaders. At our annual members’ retreat, we have an opportunity for an in-depth conversation with leading politicians and visiting guests.
In the past, we have hosted special events for our members with former Prime Ministers, Rt Hon John Key, and Rt Hon Bill English, Leader of the Opposition Hon Simon Bridges, former Australian Prime Minister Hon John Howard, and business guru Tom Peters just to name a few.
The Initiative engages in high quality research and solid debates on issues that matter
We often hear complaints that public debates in New Zealand are shallow, that our media do not provide enough analysis and thoughtful commentary, and that the public does not have a proper understanding of big policy issues.
The New Zealand Initiative’s research deals with these problems. We can research issues in a way that time-constrained journalists cannot. We then communicate complex ideas in an accessible manner that most academics will not do. In this way, we can have an influence on the direction of our country.
New Zealand needs a strong voice for sound public policy
The New Zealand Initiative occupies a unique spot in New Zealand debates. We are a business-backed research organisation but we are not a lobby group. As such, we bring a pro-market perspective to policy debates without pushing specific industries or companies’ interests. Such a voice is needed in political debates, and without The New Zealand Initiative, it would not exist.
Our members are committed to New Zealand’s long-term prosperity and prepared to contribute to the public good.