New Zealanders expect a high standard of living. They expect good housing, food security, consumer goods, and travel opportunities. They also expect the country to provide a high standard of publicly-funded services, especially education, healthcare, and superannuation.

A central challenge for New Zealand, in the twenty-first century, is how to afford these public services. This paper examines how the New Zealand food and fibre sector could deliver more value to New Zealand in the context of an ageing population and the need to maintain quality public services in the decades ahead.

In developing this paper, the authors considered a wide range of reports and articles, and here summarise the main findings. While the literature on the productivity of New Zealand speaks of the many issues the country faces, it also provides hope. It shows that we are doing some things well, and visible pathways exist to improve our performance.