Dr Eric Crampton: What New Zealand can learn from Andy Burnham’s UK plan

Election 2023 brought us a new government committed to localist approaches. National had campaigned on greater localism as an alternative to the prior Labour government’s more centralising tendencies across water services, polytechnics, housing and farming regulation.

In his Waitangi speech in 2024, the Prime Minister said that, “We, like you, believe in localism and devolution, not centralisation and control. No one understands your iwi like your iwi does.”

Dr Eric Crampton: Don't be squemish about devolution - squamish

New Zealand has one of the world’s more centralised governments. Most taxation, regulation, and spending happen at the central government level.

The case for a more localist approach is straightforward. So long as there are differences across places, national-level policies will not consider local needs and circumstances.