Challenges for Sustainable Development within New Zealand
Achieving some of the fundamentals of a strong and sustainable economy is a significant challenge for a country that is as regionally dispersed and globally isolated as New Zealand.
For example, we aspire to a well educated, skilled and adaptable workforce and yet we have relatively high rates of 15–19 year olds not involved in formal education, training or work. All too many of our children and youth lack foundation skills and qualifications. And in 2006 New Zealand recorded the lowest unemployment rates of all OECD member nations.
The reality is that not only do we have a tight labour market but a significant proportion of our current and future workforce is under-prepared to contribute to economic growth. The resulting skills and labour shortage is a real challenge for our economy.
We aspire to an innovative research and development sector because we see the role that it can play in generating new knowledge, facilitating technology transfer and the absorption of overseas knowledge. And yet New Zealand spends a relatively low share of GDP on research and development and the level of reported business research and development is low by OECD standards.
We aspire to a strong infrastructure that will support sustained economic growth and yet our energy, telecommunications, water and transport systems have some significant challenges to meet.
A secure energy supply and distribution is fundamental to a sustainable economy and yet both our security of energy supply and distribution is at risk.
Competitively priced access to world-class telecommunications services is a pre-requisite for an innovative knowledge-based economy. This is especially the case for a country as regionally dispersed and globally isolated as New Zealand. And yet, our ability to participate in and benefit from ICT is ranked 23rd globally.
Access to clean abundant water is fundamental to individual and economic wellbeing. And yet, in some parts of New Zealand demand for water cannot always be met. In others the quality of water is in jeopardy as "many lowland streams, lakes, ground waters and wetlands in areas of intensive land use continue to fall below acceptable standards".
An efficient transport system is essential to a sustainable economy and yet we have significant transport problems within our cities–the engine rooms of economic growth.
We aspire to a business sector that is enterprising and innovative and yet our patenting rates are well below the OECD average. And whilst both R&D expenditure and patenting are growing at a fast rate we struggle with our distance, our lack of large firms, and an industrial structure weighted more heavily towards primary production than other OECD countries.
And finally, the public sector has a large role to play in supporting a sustainable economy via strong infrastructure, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurialism, educating for a flexible and skilled workforce and addressing the challenges of 'market failure'.
We aspire to a strategically aligned and efficient public sector that is prepared to invest in economic development and thereby facilitate the fundamentals of a strong and sustainable economy. And yet we are still coming to terms with the tools of integrated planning and measurement that creates the alignment both within and between local, regional and central governments.
Further Reading:
[1] Department of Prime Minister, New Zealand, Sustainable Development Programme of Action 2003
[2] OECD Report, 2006
[3] Growth and Innovation Report
[4] Infrastructure issues
[5] OECD, Review of New Zealand's Energy Policies 2006
[6] Global Competitiveness Report Network Readiness Index
[7] Sustainable Development Programme of Action 2003