Help fund us

Why donate to Motu Research and Education Foundation?

A well-functioning society needs independent policy leadership.

Making a donation to Motu Research is an investment in the productivity and sustainability of Aotearoa New Zealand, and in the well-being of our people. The structure of our charitable trust enables tax deductible donations.

Public policy in a democracy is built on a complex base of political forces, judgement and ideology. Scientific, economic research should form the basis of decision-making in order for policy to improve New Zealanders’ long-term well-being.

Motu Research fills a vital and distinctive niche providing independent, rigorous, and policy-focused research in an Aotearoa context. It offers distinctive blend of world-class research, policy analysis, mentoring and capacity building, uncompromised by ideology or political position.

It is vital for research to be freely available and widely debated. Motu Research is committed to independence and transparency. Our policy of publishing all findings without fear or favour fosters good policy and an advantageous result for the country as a whole.

If Motu Research is not well-resourced, New Zealand is missing a critical component in the machinery of public debate and decision making.

Here's examples of where we are making a difference:

• A project for the World Bank creating a handbook for any jurisdiction wanting to design or revamp an emissions trading scheme.
• A significant evaluation of the government's insulation and heating scheme with surprising implications for public health that led to a revised and more efficient programme.
• Research on agricultural emissions and water quality in New Zealand, which helped re-frame the issues and increase the ability for constructive thinking and communication between the agricultural sector and policy makers.
• How R&D and science funding contribute to innovation and productivity growth in New Zealand firms.
• Tracing the patterns of concentration and assimilation over time of immigrants to New Zealand.
• An international handbook, funded by the World Bank, allowing any territory to design an emissions trading system.
• Quantifying the factors that affect housing price changes in New Zealand regions.
• Building New Zealand's economic capacity through the support and employment of talented young economists.

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