Our 2024-2025 Annual Report is now available

Nov 20, 2025

The Motu Research 2024-25 Annual Report tells the story of our achievements throughout the year and provides key financial information for 2024-25.

Our work continues to have a highly influential impact, including informing government policy.

Ranked as Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading economics research organisation, we continue to win contracts and grants in the current constrained science funding environment.

Just some of our achievements over the year:

• The Motu Research and Education Foundation brought on board several new patrons.
   
• We published 13 working papers and Motu Notes and worked on a range of essential projects with far-reaching impacts, including: 
• • Catherine Leining, Sasha Maher and Hannah Kotula showed how Aotearoa New Zealand could work with other countries to speed up global climate progress by funding offshore mitigation to help meet our 2030 target under the Paris Agreement.
  • Richard Fabling and Dave Maré looked at whether working in a Māori-led firm contributes to the earnings of Māori employees. They found Māori-led firms have slightly lower than average multi-factor productivity and wage levels, and the wage effects for Māori of working in a Māori-led firm are small.
  • Jaimie Monk, Kate Prickett, Arthur Grimes and Philip S. Morrison explored differences in New Zealand children’s behavioural outcomes between high- and low-income families, and maternal stress and children's screen use. They found that a higher family income supports children’s behavioural development. They examined mothers’ stress and children’s screen time, finding that both factors explain part of the association between income and reports of children’s behaviour problems. The results suggest that, in early childhood years, a higher income provides for decreases in mothers’ stress, potentially freeing them up for more engaged parenting.
     
• We ran four public policy seminars, in partnership with The Treasury, EECA and Stats NZ.
  • Putting children at the centre: Using our knowledge of child development to give Kiwi kids the best start to life.
  • The Treasury of New Zealand's social discount rate.
  • Progressing offshore mitigation for Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • 2026 international climate negotiations & recent developments in EU, USA & China climate change policies (plus an Aotearoa New Zealand perspective). 
     
• We awarded several scholarships and prizes.
  • Amelia Farrar of the University of Otago won the Sir Frank Holmes prize for top economics undergraduate student in Aotearoa.
  • Celia Karl and Jake Koekemoer won our Āheitanga Thesis scholarship, aimed at enhancing research capacity in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Māori community.
  • We awarded the Motu Doctoral Scholarship to Euan Richardson. The scholarship is awarded to Motu Research Analysts who pursue a highly rated PhD course.
     
• Over 2024-25, Motu researchers were mentioned in 141 media articles.

Enjoy the read!