Dr Peter Winsley: How can more young people enter careers and fulfil their potential

Many young New Zealanders feel that a social contract has been breached. This tacit contract is that, if students worked and studied hard, the government would maintain through its institutions the macroeconomic stability and microeconomic flexibility that allow people to succeed with decisions on study and career choices.

However, young people are now expected to enter a weak labour market under tight fiscal constraints and with high uncertainty over the information learners can draw on. New Zealand has inherited multi-billion infrastructure deficits. It faces challenges in funding growing retirement and health liabilities. Its low domestic savings rates favour non-tradeable sectors and property rather than knowledge-intensive, export-orientated businesses.