Wellbeing Not Axed
New Zealand Rediscovers Its Moral Compass
In a triumphant return to the 1980s, the New Zealand Government has announced it will repeal all wellbeing-related provisions from the Public Finance Act, finally liberating Treasury from the harrowing burden of giving a toss about people.
Gone is the four-yearly Wellbeing Report. Gone is the requirement for Budgets to explain how they improve the lives of actual human beings. In their place - hard numbers, dry risks and GDP-worship so intense it should probably come with incense and a golden statue of Milton Friedman.
According to Finance Minister Nicola Willis, this is not heartless. No, no. It's common sense. After all, in her words, “every Budget aims to improve wellbeing”, just, you know, not in a way you can measure, track, or be held accountable for.
From Caring to Counting - A Regressive Evolution
The wellbeing approach, first introduced under the Ardern-led Labour Government, dared to suggest that a nation’s success might involve more than how fast the economy grows or how rich the top 10% get. Under the new framework, Budgets were to be guided by how policies impacted mental health, child poverty, environmental degradation and social cohesion.
The results weren’t perfect, but they were visible. Investment in family violence prevention. Funding for youth mental health. Recognition that the economy exists to serve people, not the other way around.
Apparently, that was all just a bit too emotional.
Willis, in a performance that should win an Oscar for "Most Convincing Imitation of a Spreadsheet Come to Life," declared that it was time for Treasury to “return to its knitting.” Knitting, in this case, means ignoring pesky social realities and returning to the cold embrace of fiscal purity.
Courageously Punching Down
While governments in Scotland, Wales, Finland and even the OECD continue to build wellbeing into their public policy frameworks, New Zealand, once a leader, is now determined to be a case study in how to enthusiastically run backward off a cliff.
The irony? This retreat is sold under the banner of “transparency.” As though scrapping efforts to account for wellbeing somehow illuminates the truth, rather than burying it.
“More risk disclosure” is the new buzzword. But apparently, the risk of generational poverty, suicide rates, domestic violence, or ecosystem collapse doesn’t count - unless it can be modelled in Excel with a confidence interval.
What’s Left Behind
The cruel poetry of this move lies in what it signals: that caring about the wellbeing of your people is a political act. That acknowledging the complexity of life, or the dignity of the vulnerable, or the long-term damage of inequity, is somehow too controversial.
The message is clear. The Government will take care of the economy and if you don’t feel cared for in the process, then maybe you’re just bad at being economic.
📢 Official Government Statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Title: Clarity Restored - Public Finance Act Freed from Emotional Clutter
The New Zealand Government is proud to announce the repeal of the sentimentalist appendages to the Public Finance Act. Effective immediately, Treasury will no longer be distracted by qualitative noise such as “wellbeing,” “social cohesion,” or “the value of a human life beyond market participation.”
“This Government remains committed to improving lives,” said Finance Minister Nicola Willis, “just not in a way that involves asking whether we’re actually improving lives.”
Under the Clarity and Confidence (Amendment) Bill, we will now report only on -
Things we can price.
Risks we can blame on others.
Outcomes that poll well in UMR focus groups.
We believe this will ensure a stronger, more economically aligned and emotionally disengaged public sector.
End of Release
For further clarification, consult any man over 50 in a pinstripe suit.
✉️ Letter to the Editor - From the NZ Wellbeing Economy Alliance
Subject: You Don’t Kill the Thermometer Because You Have a Fever
To the Editor,
The Government’s decision to remove wellbeing reporting from the Public Finance Act is as alarming as it is cynical. These provisions weren’t perfect, but they offered a framework for considering the human, social, and environmental costs of our policy choices - things we ignore at our peril.
With this repeal, we return to a one-eyed view of progress: GDP up = good, GDP down = bad. It’s the economic equivalent of smashing the thermometer because you’re uncomfortable with your temperature.
Wellbeing should never have become a partisan football. We urge every New Zealander to speak up before this country trades its soul for a few tidy spreadsheets.
— Gareth Hughes
National Director, Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa
✉️ Letter to the Editor - From an Affected Citizen
Subject: I Was One of the People the Budget Used to Count
Dear Editor,
I’m a 33-year-old solo mum in the Waikato. When the Wellbeing Budget came out a few years ago, I cried, not because it fixed everything, but because it felt like for the first time in forever, someone in Wellington actually saw me.
Funding came through for mental health services. My son got help with his anxiety. I got access to counselling. We’re not rich now, but we’re still here.
Today I read that wellbeing is being stripped out of the law. I guess we don’t count anymore.
Please, if you’re reading this and you feel like your life matters too - say something. Otherwise, the only thing they’ll ever measure is how much we cost to ignore.
— Rachel T., Hamilton
📞 Phone +64 275 665 682
✉️ Email john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz
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