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Motu Research: an independent, world-class economics & public policy institute, working for the public good.

We help Aotearoa New Zealand tackle complex social, environmental & economic challenges. 
Emissions trading

Guide to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme - 2026 update

Author: Catherine Leining

Publication

This 2026 revision to Motu Research’s popular Guide to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme gives a user-friendly explaination of how the scheme works, describes its core design features, and traces how and why those…

Well-being and sustainability measures

Impacts of macroeconomic policies on objective and subjective wellbeing: The role of housing tenure

Authors: Amelia Blamey | Arthur Grimes | Norman Gemmell

Working Paper

Between 2005 and 2021, house prices in Aotearoa New Zealand rose 142%, and that surge has deepened inequalities in people’s wellbeing. Homeowners gained; renters lost ground. When house prices rise, homeowners who own their homes…

Updates

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2026-04-30

A 2026 update to our Guide to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme

We have released our 2026 edition of A Guide to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, updating the 2022 version of…

2026-04-10

Appealing to altruism alone won’t spark climate cooperation. New research examines what might work instead

Wealthy countries aren’t doing nearly enough to fund climate mitigation in the developing world – and a big part of…

2026-03-17

Motu Research challenges inclusion on register alongside lobbying organisations

Motu Research has formally requested removal from the Democracy Project's NZ Lobbying and Influence register, asserting our inclusion misrepresents Motu…

Our Research

Environment

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Urban & regional

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Wellbeing & macro-economics

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Population & labour

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Human rights

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Productivity & innovation

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Recent Event

December 1, 2025

The housing/wellbeing connection: the role of public housing across the life course

This joint Motu Research/Home Foundation public policy seminar had Motu Fellow Jaimie Monk and Senior Fellow Arthur Grimes explore the relationship between public housing and wellbeing across different stages of life.

Other recent events

September 17, 2025

Urban Economics short courses: September & October

Motu Research's Senior Fellow Stuart Donovan ran urban economics short courses in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland in September/October.

May 28, 2025

Putting children at the centre: Using our knowledge of child development to give kiwi kids the best start to life

This seminar presented findings from Jaimie Monk's latest report, drawing on data from the Growing Up in New Zealand study to examine children’s behavioural development.

April 17, 2025

2026 international climate negotiations & recent developments in EU, USA & China climate change policies (plus an Aotearoa NZ perspective)

In April 2024, we had a public policy seminar on the 2026 international climate negotiations and recent developments in EU, USA and China climate change policies - plus a discussion of climate policies in Aotearoa…

Featured work

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Climate Teams: International Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Shifting narratives on funding mitigation abroad: Insights from an international dialogue

Authors: Catherine Leining | Sasha Maher | Lucy Peake | Alessia Casamassima | Albert Ferrari | Lea Heinrich | Simone Borghesi

Working Paper

The stories we tell
About helping each other
Drive climate action
Individual and group outcomes

Uneven vaccine uptake across industries

Author: Richard Fabling

Working Paper

Vaccine adoption
slow in worst hit industries?
Duh! It’s the workers
Individual and group outcomes

Employment effects of vaccine mandate defiance

Author: Richard Fabling

Working Paper

Thou shalt vaccinate
came the command from above.
Defiers suffer
Firm productivity and performance

Auckland firm performance in Covid-19 lockdown

Author: Richard Fabling

Working Paper

Lockdowns hurt Auckland
Some firms did worse than others
Knowing helps planning
Economic performance

On quantitative and graphical measures of the severity of New Zealand’s recessions and strength of its expansions

Authors: Viv Hall | Dr John McDermott CRSNZ | Peter Thomson

Working Paper

This paper offers a clearer way to judge how the economy performs in booms and busts. When the economy grows or shrinks, we often focus on how long the phase lasts or how deep it…
Individual and group outcomes

When parental aspirations aren’t enough: An exploration of the importance of parental aspirations in the socioeconomic gradient in child outcomes

Authors: Nic Watson | Isabelle Sin

Working Paper

This study explores how parents shape their children’s early learning and wellbeing — and where the biggest differences begin. Parental involvement — time spent reading, talking, and engaging in learning — consistently predicts early literacy…
Science and innovation policy

Research and Development Tax Incentive (RDTI) Five-Year Evaluation

Authors: Tadhg Ryan-Charleton | Conor O’Kane | Dave Maré | Dean Hyslop | Amelia Blamey

Working Paper

This report is the first major piece of evidence about the impact of the Research and Development Tax Incentive (RDTI) and how well it is working. Motu Research lead the first five-year evaluation of the…
Human rights

Sovereign Bond Investing and Human Rights: An Analysis of New Zealand’s Retail Investment Funds

Authors: Anne-Marie Brook | K. Chad Clay | Zoe Shepherd

Working Paper

This paper finds that as of March 2024, more than half a billion dollars of KiwiSaver and other retail investments were lent to governments on ‘high alert’ for human rights violations. This is a chance…
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