Stories by Max Rashbrooke

Opinion - As the debate over public spending, debt and tax heats up, the finance minister's announcement of new fiscal rules is an astute attempt to re-set the terms of that discussion.

Opinion - The stratospheric rise of poverty and inequality during the Covid-19 pandemic can be seen everywhere - except in the statistics, Max Rashbrooke writes.

Opinion - Crises can be an opportunity for sweeping change, but this Budget reflects an opinion that crises should not be rapidly exploited, Max Rashbrooke writes.

The latest child poverty statistics hand Jacinda Ardern a tangible - if tentative - sign of progress, but also point to a need for more strident action, Max Rashbrooke writes.

Opinion - The welfare advisory group's report is an urgent and much needed call for a strong shift towards support, writes Max Rashbrooke.

Even if the government's decision to abandon a capital gains tax is - as some argue - a smart strategic move, it undoubtedly puts the rest of its agenda in jeopardy, Max Rashbrooke writes.

Opinion - The intense debate about the proposed capital gains tax highlights issues of fairness and egalitarianism, which are supposedly New Zealanders' touchstones Max Rashbrooke writes.

Opinion - Today's release of data on New Zealanders' assets deals another blow to the idea that this is an egalitarian country, writes Max Rashbrooke.

Most people know that the gap between rich and poor in New Zealand has grown - has "egalitarianism" fallen out of favour?