BOOKS

Detailed analysis of inequality in New Zealand is available in recent volumes. This page highlights four key works from Bridget Williams Books.

Cover of the book titled 'Too Much Money' by Max Rashbrooke, with a blue background, large white and yellow text, and images of New Zealand 100-dollar banknotes and smaller 20-cent coins scattered across the cover.

TOO MUCH MONEY

Too Much Money (2021) sets out the impacts of widening wealth disparities on a supposedly egalitarian country. The wealthiest 1% own one-quarter of all assets. This wealth opens up opportunities – in housing, education, healthcare, the workforce, and politics – not available to others. This sets the scene for enduring differences in life chances – that is, different classes.

Text-based image with the word 'INEQUALITY' repeated multiple times in different fonts and styles, along with the phrase 'A NEW ZEALAND CRISIS' in red and the names of various individuals in yellow.

INEQUALITY: A NEW ZEALAND CRISIS

Edited by Max Rashbrooke, the chapters of Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis (2018) are written by some of New Zealand’s leading academics and commentators, and lay bare the startling facts about the country’s increased income imbalances. Intertwined with these chapters are personal stories of inequality.

THE INEQUALITY DEBATE: A NEW ZEALAND INTRODUCTION

For those seeking a quicker way into the subject, The Inequality Debate: A New Zealand Introduction (2014) contains key facts about disparities in a few dozen pages. Based on the first two chapters of Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, it is a succinct summary of the issue for the busy reader. 

WEALTH AND NEW ZEALAND

Finally, Wealth and New Zealand (2015) looks at assets – who owns what in this country – and how unequally that is divided. The most recent NBR Rich Lists have revealed very large increases in wealth for the upper echelons. But what do these figures mean and what else do we know about New Zealand’s fortunes? This Text lays bare the influence of wealth disparities.