Make New Zealand Greater

Prompting Discussion on The Best Policies to Take New Zealand to New Heights

Purpose

To develop and popularise a comprehensive set of government policies that will take New Zealand to greater heights of prosperity and freedom than ever before

Method

Ever since the days of Socrates, dialogue has been known to be the best method for creating solutions to complex problems. This is why free speech is so foundational to democracy - the core argument for democracy is the assertion that open dialogue and distributed problem solving will always produce better results than hierarchical control by autocratic leaders.

My goal is to start from first principles to design a comprehensive set of alternative government policies that are ideally suited to the needs of the present. To do this I will draw on the accumulated wisdom of humanity, both through my own research and through dialogue with others. The primary objective of this website is to display my current understanding of what these ideal policies are and to spark debate about them that will allow me to refine them further. I will update these policies in response to any criticism or feedback I receive that I think is valid.

The secondary objective is to popularise these policies by educating the public on their potential benefits. Milton Freidman once said "I do not believe that the solution to our problem is simply to elect the right people. The important thing is to establish a political climate of opinion which will make it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing." My goal is to help shape the political climate of opinion so that it doesn't matter as much who is elected, the best policies will be implemented regardless.

Politicians are often hesitant to propose radical ideas, and justifiably so, because a resounding rejection by the public could negatively affect their careers. After all, the first priority of a politician is to get elected, and their second is to get re-elected, and most prefer to play it safe. By contrast, I suffer no harm from rejection or criticism of my ideas and can be as radical as I wish. The value of a forum such as this is that politicians can observe without risk before choosing from the most popular ideas.

The key to a peaceful revolution is education, and I hope this website can be a useful resource in this regard. An interesting example is the rise of Javier Milei in Argentina, who worked with a group of economists to educate the population about economic ideas for a decade before he won the presidency. My hope is to be part of a similar revolution in New Zealand.

As the indisputable global town square, and one of the few platforms committed to free speech, I will use X as the conduit for these discussions. I will post a summary of my policy ideas, post any updates I make, and share ideas from around the world for consideration. Please follow me, engage in the discussion, and share these ideas as far as you can, including on other platforms.

Philosophy

My definition of a successful society is one in which everyone has the opportunity to flourish in the manner that seems best to them. Humans are unique among the animal kingdom as agents of rational thought; we use our minds to anticipate the future, form goals, and problem solve as we attempt to accomplish our goals. Each human is also uniquely individual, formed by their biology and experiences that give each a unique concept of what flourishing means. Aristotle's concept of eudaimonia captures this idea well; translated as flourishing or living well, it includes the ideas of living virtuously and fulfilling your unique purpose. A successful society is one that maximizes eudaimonia, giving all individuals the opportunity to live a fulfilling life. To fulfil everyone's unique purpose requires maximum freedom, with the only limitations being on activities that infringe upon the flourishing of another.

It is indisputable that free markets are the greatest method of wealth creation so far devised, as even their fiercest critics will begrudgingly admit. This is due to their efficient allocation of resources, and the profit motive that drives both hard work and innovation. Economies are far too complex to be efficiently managed by even the smartest group of central planners using the most powerful computers. Unlike other systems that attempt to suppress or alter our innate human motivations, free markets harness each person's self-interest for the benefit of all, consolidating trillions of individual decisions and using price signals to determine the most efficient allocation of resources. Systems of central control will always simplify the options available to make their job possible; free markets can cope with and reward those that innovate and offer the goods and services that most closely match the vast array of consumer preferences.

This does not mean that free markets are without their problems. Taken to the extreme they result in anarchy, which inevitably leads to violence and rule by warlords. Some rules are essential for the efficient operation of free markets, as is some level of governance to enforce them. While free markets benefit everyone, they benefit some more than others and can lead to extreme inequality of outcomes. To counter this, it is generally regarded as beneficial to have some level of redistribution in the form of a welfare safety net. The trick is finding the right balance between all these factors, which is where democracy comes in.

To paraphrase Milton Friedman, the society that prioritizes equality of outcome over individual freedom will end up with neither, because the force required to achieve equality destroys freedom, and although initially well intentioned, that force will inevitably be used by those in power for their own selfish ends and destroy equality as well. Benjamin Franklin made a similar remark about safety; "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety, and will lose both." My goal is to convince society to prioritize freedom and liberty over equality and safety, and that by doing so we will end up with a high degree of both.

Fiscal Impact

I have gone through the latest government budget line by line and estimated the effect of my proposed policies. I am not trained in economic forecasting and my access to data is not as good as I would prefer, but I think my estimations are good enough to give a sense of what is possible. My estimations are available for download below, and if anyone has better skills or data and wishes to challenge my assumptions or calculations then please do so - I am open to constructive criticism that will improve my model.

My model is based on the 2024/25 year and is for an ideal end state as if my proposed policies had been in place long term, and no allowance has been made for transitional costs.

The question I was attempting to answer with this exercise was is it possible to have low taxes, excellent "government" services, and a government fiscal surplus - while at the same time no one is financially worse off than under the current system? I believe the answer is yes.

The following is a summary of the most substantial impact my proposed policies would have on the government's budget:

$ Millions