Media release
8 December 2003
Scorecard shows anti-growth environment
The latest Changing Gear scorecard again shows the difficulties faced in growing business and the economy, says
Business NZ.
Releasing the latest update (attached), Business NZ Chief Executive Simon Carlaw said the scorecard showed New Zealand
either static or falling behind on most key indicators.
The Changing Gear scorecard is a set of objective indicators of the environment for accelerated economic growth, devised
in 2001 and updated regularly since.
"The key indicator - wealth of New Zealanders - is declining," Mr Carlaw said. "We are not catching up with the citizens
of the richest countries. This has a direct relationship with the length of our hospital waiting lists and our ability
to shorten them.
"Our work stoppage figures are far from the target, as are indicators for the tax burden, roading expenditure and local
government expenditure. Only six of the 22 indicators show improvement over 2002.
"The scorecard represents an objective measure of our progress towards a growth culture. On current performance, we have
a long way to go."
The 2003 scorecard was completed before the introduction of the Employment Relations Law Reform Bill and other recent
legislative initiatives that will also impact negatively on New Zealand's growth potential.
*The Changing Gear scorecard 2003 is on http://www.businessnz.org.nz.