Nau mai haere mai — welcome to this week’s newsletter.

While we are still waiting for final election results and the outcome of discussions between Labour and the Greens, there are certain things about the new parliament we can already tell — including that it is likely our most diverse yet.

Among the ranks of new MPs is Ibrahim Omer, the first African and second former refugee to be elected in New Zealand. His story is inspirational, but also serves to highlight the ongoing challenges refugees from Africa (and elsewhere) still face after they arrive here.

Once a new government is formed, it will face challenges in the health system, beyond the ongoing quest to keep COVID-19 out of the country. Unlike citizens of some other high-income countries, all New Zealanders have, in principle at least, access to free secondary healthcare. But inequality is a major issue, and the government will have to decide whether to implement any recommendations from a major health system review commissioned by the previous Labour-NZ First coalition.

How we should pay for the pandemic response and recovery was one of the more hotly contested policy areas during the election campaign, and it was even suggested New Zealand could effectively write off any debt accrued along the way by printing money. Fans of “modern monetary theory” would agree, but there are risks inherent in such an approach.

There is much more to read here and on our homepage. As always, many thanks for your support for our work. If you enjoy this newsletter, feel free to share it with friends and colleagues — and they can subscribe here. Ka kite anō a tērā wiki.