Kate Raworth visit to Wellington

New Zealand Alternative was pleased to host economist Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics, in Wellington on 7-8 May.

We hosted two events with Kate - at Unity Books on Tuesday 7 May and then in Parliament on Wednesday 8 May.

At Unity Books our Co-Director Thomas Nash moderated a conversation between Kate and Chlöe Swarbrick MP.

In Parliament Kate gave a presentation on her work and spoke on a panel moderated by Stuff Senior Journalist Andrea Vance with climate and statistics Minister James Shaw and our Co-Director Dr Evelyn Marsters.

Kate also appeared on Newshub’s The Nation programme on 11 May, arguing that our obsession with growth is costing us our planet.

A strong theme of Kate’s remarks during her visit was that New Zealand’s work on the wellbeing budget and living standards framework, along with the Zero Carbon Bill, makes us a beacon to other countries who are eager to explore alternatives to economic measurement and management.

If properly implemented and fully embraced, the wellbeing budget should have a positive impact on the health of New Zealand’s people and our environment. Its greatest significance, though, may end up being the precedent it provides to the rest of the world.