Let's Offer The Productivity Commission Asylum This Side Of The Ditch

New Zealanders don't like feeling jealous of their cousins in Australia, but one area where brave economists and business leaders are prepared to admit this feeling is over the existence of the Productivity Commission. New Zealand has no comparable institution and it is little wonder that New Zealand's productivity performance has suffered from this difference.

As we have reported at The Hive the new Australian Government led by Chairman Rudd

and notables such as Kim Il-Carr are squandering this advantage over New Zealand and ignoring the Productivity Commission in important policy reviews.

This seems to us to offer New Zealand a huge potential windfall gain. Why don't we, should we have a change of Government in New Zealand, offer the Productivity Commission a new home in Wellington? There is plenty of work to be done this side of the ditch, maybe starting with a review of New Zealand trade policy.

One of the great fans of the Productivity Commission is National Party Trade Spokesperson Tim Groser. He gave a speech at a cheerleading conference hosted by the Tasman Transparency Group on the need to export the Productivity Commission model in Sydney last July. So Tim, there is a challenge for you - are you prepared to offer Gary Banks and his team asylum once you become Minister?