The COVID-19 outbreak will likely lead to a significant economic recession. The NZ government's pandemic response has rightly prioritised maintaining employment and the ability of firms to recover quickly when the crisis abates.

To this end, the NZ Government was quick to implement a wage subsidy scheme but as the crisis has evolved, it is only right to ask whether this scheme remains fit for purpose. This report compares wage subsidy schemes in Canada and Australia with New Zealand’s.