The greatest pay excesses, in New Zealand and elsewhere, are in the private sector. But pay rates for the chief executives of government departments have also spiralled over the last three decades. And more so in New Zealand than almost anywhere else, it seems. The chart below, from the OECD’s Government at a Glance report, shows…

The latest OECD report on income inequality is out, showing New Zealand as one of just six countries where inequality was stable or falling from 2007 to 2011. This doesn’t alter what we already knew, which is that nothing much changed here between the global financial crisis and the end of the current data we…

The OECD’s latest research – which warns about concentrating power and privilege at the top, and advocates new tax measures – is yet another sign that even major international institutions have woken up to the danger of inequality. The Focus on Top Incomes shows New Zealand isn’t immune from the 1%er phenomenon. Over the last…