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Natasha Martin / Stuff
BERL Chief Economist Ganesh Nana made a presentation in 2011.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced that economist Ganesh Nana will be the next chair of the Productivity Commission.
The cabinet has approved the appointment of Nana, who is currently the research director at Wellington’s economic consultancy BERL. He will assume the new position on January 31, 2021.
“The appointment of Dr. Nana will reinforce the Commission’s efforts to fulfill the full breadth of her mandate,” said Robertson.
“I want to ensure that the Commission, like the Government, looks beyond GDP to find its measures of success and has the well-being of current and future generations of New Zealanders in mind as it generates new knowledge and advice,” he said. .
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Carys Monteath / Stuff
Murray Sherwin is leaving after nearly a decade on the Productivity Commission.
“I also want them to connect with a wide range of New Zealanders while doing their job.”
The Productivity Commission was the brainchild of the ACT Party and was formed as part of its trust and supply agreement with John Key’s National Party in 2008. Murray Sherwin has been the chairman since its inception in 2011.
the Productivity Commission Act 2010 states that “the main purpose of the Commission is to advise the Government on improving productivity in a way that is aimed at supporting the general well-being of New Zealanders, taking into account a wide range of communities of interest and population groups in society. from New Zealand ”.
Nana, an economist, is widely considered close to the Labor Party. His signature, BERL, cost Labor economic policies in the 2017 election, but not for the most recent campaign. It is the second recent appointment with close ties to the Labor movement after former director of policy and economist for the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, Bill Rosenberg, became commissioner in September this year.
Nana said that she was excited about the new position, but that she was moving out of her comfort zone.
“Contributing to a transformation of the economic model and the narrative towards one that values people and prioritizes our role as kaitiaki or taonga is my kaupapa. This perspective views the delivery of well-being in various dimensions as critical measures of the success of any economic model.
“Entering the Productivity Committee after more than 20 years at BERL will be a wrench for me and a move out of my comfort zone. However, this opportunity was not one he could ignore, as the challenges Aotearoa faces in the 21st century are becoming increasingly intense.
“The role and nature of the Commission’s work will change in light of these urgent challenges. I am committed to ensuring that the Commission increasingly contributes to the broader strategic and political kōrero, ”said Nana.
But the appointment has not been well received across the political spectrum.
“Increasing productivity is the only way to improve income and living standards. The Labor Party has clearly given up on meeting our most important public policy challenge, “said ACT leader David Seymour.
“We can’t afford better pharmaceuticals or a cleaner environment if we just ignore it and decide to measure nebulous concepts like loneliness, inclusion and identity.”
“Nana has been an outspoken opponent of capitalism, calling it a scam and a failure. Why would the Labor Party put someone so historically illiterate in charge of such an important agency? “
Nana will take on the new job on January 31, 2021. She will leave all her formal duties at BERL but will retain a stake, the government said.
To avoid conflicts of interest, the Productivity Commission will not enter into any contract with BERL while Nana is in charge, according to a government statement.
