Introduction
Prime Minister Helen Clark set out the government’s approach to economic development in the February 2002 document Growing an Innovative New Zealand. We usually refer to this approach as the Growth and Innovation Framework, or GIF.
GIF built on economic development policies that the government had put in place between 2000 and 2002, and on other public and private sector thinking about how best to lift New Zealanders’ living standards.
Some of that thinking can be found in:
- the Science and Innovation Advisory Council’s report
- recommendations from the 2001 Knowledge Wave Conference
- the Boston Consulting Group’s report on investment
- LEK Consulting’s report on talent.
Working papers and policy papers from the Treasury, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology also contributed to the thinking. You can find these by following links within the websites for these agencies.
Growing an Innovative New Zealand stressed the importance of sound foundations for national development:
- good fiscal management
- sound monetary policy
- a competitive, open economy
- social cohesion
- a healthy, well-educated population
- a solid research and development framework.
But these alone are not enough to deliver the standard of living, the social services and the environmental protection that New Zealanders aspire to. The document therefore went on to focus on four areas for actions that would increase economic growth: strengthening the innovation system, developing skills and talents, increasing international connections, and engaging with sectors.
You can read about developments in these four areas and in other, more recent, action areas within GIF on this website.
