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Uncomfortable Economics
Hard policy decisions New Zealand’s politicians can no longer avoid
Brief Description
New Zealand once ranked among the world’s most prosperous nations. Not any longer. Why has our economic performance lagged behind countries we once outpaced? And what will it take to reverse the decline? In Uncomfortable Economics, David Schnauer shows that New Zealand’s underperformance is not inevitable....
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Uncomfortable Economics
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New Zealand once ranked among the world’s most prosperous nations. Why has our economic performance slipped, and what will it take to turn it around? In Uncomfortable Economics, David Schnauer argues our decline is the result of choices, and sets out a bold, independent call for long-term thinking and reform.
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Description
New Zealand once ranked among the world’s most prosperous nations. Not any longer.
Why has our economic performance lagged behind countries we once outpaced? And what will it take to reverse the decline?
In Uncomfortable Economics, David Schnauer shows that New Zealand’s underperformance is not inevitable. It is the result of choices — cultural and political — that can be changed.
Looking beyond election cycles and short-term fixes, he calls for a renewed national focus on savings, housing, public debt, productivity and long-term policy discipline. He challenges both politicians and citizens to lift their sights and demand more from our economy.
Bold, readable and politically independent, Uncomfortable Economics is a call to action for anyone who cares about New Zealand’s future.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781991436085
Publisher: Mary Egan Publishing
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 13 July 2026
Country: New Zealand
Imprint: Mary Egan Publishing
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 230.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 196
About the Author
David is a retired lawyer with degrees in law and economics. He and his wife Patricia established and ran Schnauer and Co, a successful law firm on Auckland's North Shore, for 25 years. Between them they have four children and seven grandchildren.
A fourth-generation Aucklander and proud New Zealander, David has spent much of his life frustrated by his country's economic underperformance. That frustration, and a genuine belief that New Zealand can do better, led him to write this book. An occasional newspaper columnist, he offers here a set of positive, long-term policies aimed at lifting New Zealand's economic performance over the next 75 years. In his view, the challenge is not identifying what needs to change. It is finding the political and societal courage to do it.
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