2007 NZIER Economics Award winner
A former Prime Minister of New Zealand once told an English audience that, though poets from the earliest ages had made the lamb the emblem of peace and innocence, we in New Zealand were most interested in the mint sauce end of the animal. From the viewpoint of 2007, our “interest” in the tradable value of all kinds of primary produce is still a matter of vital national concern.
New Zealand has a very strong comparative advantage in the production of agricultural products such as lamb and dairy produce. The agribusiness and forestry sectors use 52% of the total land area of New Zealand, and contribute an estimated 65% of merchandise exports. The agricultural sector has been an important contributor to the overall growth of productivity in New Zealand over the decades.
Consumer and distributor resistance to food that has travelled long distances has the potential to be very damaging to New Zealand exports to the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. Reduced access to these high income markets would generate flow-on effects to the whole economy. It is therefore essential that national and international debates about the environmental impacts of New Zealand agricultural production and distribution be informed by sound scientific and economic analysis.
Dr Caroline Saunders receiving the 2007 NZIER Award
The winner of the NZIER Economics Award for 2007 has led, by her personal efforts and by her encouragement of others, detailed and compelling research to integrate scientific and economic analyses of international trade and the environment. She has been heavily involved also in New Zealand’s efforts to ensure that the results of that research are disseminated as widely as possible, domestically and overseas. The key analytical results of that research have concentrated on an “energy accounting” approach to the “food miles” claims made by persons who were anxious to encourage the consumption of food produced in locations geographically close to where it was consumed. The research pointed out that it is not “food miles” that should be assessed, but the total energy used from production to plate. Its analysis showed that New Zealand products compare favourably, and by substantial margins, with lower energy and emissions per tonne of product delivered to the United Kingdom compared to other UK sources. The research has withstood close scrutiny from a wide range of overseas academic and government bodies, and has been very widely cited.
In recognition of her outstanding recent contributions to the “food miles” debate, both in New Zealand and internationally, and thus to the promotion of New Zealand’s economic well-being on this vital issue, the NZIER Economics Award for 2007 is given to Dr Caroline Saunders.
