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A Mini-Hoon with David Skilling on productivity

I spoke with independent economist David Skilling about a presentation he gave to Treasury on Wednesday about New Zealand's productivity catastrophe over the last 15 years, and what to do about it

Independent economist David Skilling gave a stark public presentation to Treasury officials and others yesterday that painted a brutal picture of New Zealand’s labour productivity and real wage catastrophe since 2010, pointing out our economy remained stuck in a low-investment rut with weakening trade connections.

Skilling’s presentation in video form below is a must-watch and should be seen as a landmark moment ‘calling bullshit’ on at least three decades of economic reforms focused on squeezing down the size of Government and keeping capital gains tax free at all costs.

I spoke with David in a Substack Live this morning, referencing his presentation below.

Treasury Guest Lecture Presentation Feb 2026
3.27MB ∙ PDF file
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Thank you Ant O'Brien, Michael Sharpe, Steve Glicken, MD, James Wilkes, John Smart, and many others for tuning into my live video with David Skilling! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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