Halfway there? Covid policy trade-offs to inform NZ's approach

Russell McVeagh and the Law & Economics Association of New Zealand have the pleasure of inviting you to a seminar by Dave Heatley of the Productivity Commission and Dr Martin Lally, on the policy trade-offs that could inform the approach to the Covid pandemic through 2021.

Title: Halfway there? Covid policy trade-offs to inform NZ's approach in 2021

Speakers: Dave Heatley and Dr Martin Lally

Location: Russell McVeagh, level 24, NTT Tower, 157 Lambton Quay, Wellington

Notice for attendees with accessibility needs: there is a set of stairs to get to the boardroom; the internal lift is out of action.

Date: Thursday, 17 December 2020

Time:

Light lunch from 12:00 pm for a 12:30 pm seminar start, with an opportunity for further refreshments until 14:00 pm following the conclusion of the discussion and question time at 13:30 pm.

Topic:

Governments around the world are grappling with the question of how tightly to manage the spread of Covid-19 while sustaining economies and preserving public licence for ongoing or renewed containment measures.

Apparent short-term trade-offs between saving lives and sacrificing the economy give way to the possibility of longer-term trade-offs between saving lives from the virus and the wider health and wellbeing impacts of worsening economies. Likewise, as containment measures such as quarantining, contact tracing and physical distancing lower transmission rates, and improved treatments lead to reduced mortality, the trade-offs at the early stages of the pandemic differ to from those confronted now.

In this seminar Dave Heatley offers perspectives on these trade-offs – whether apparent or real – from economics, and how they might inform ongoing policy. He will present for 30 minutes. Dr Martin Lally will then provide a comment for 15 minutes, followed by Q&A.

About the Speakers:

Dave Heatley, a principal advisor at the New Zealand Productivity Commission, started applying an economic lens to New Zealand’s Covid-19 response pandemic in March. He writes for the Commission’s Pandemic–economics blog and would appear to be the only New Zealand public servant to have produced a cost–benefit analysis of Covid policy. Dave has worked on the Commission’s inquiry teams since its inception in 2011. He was an IT entrepreneur in a previous career.

Dr Martin Lally is Director of Capital Financial Consultants, which undertakes financial consulting work for a range of public and private sector clients in New Zealand and Australia, most particularly to regulatory bodies on the cost of capital for regulated businesses.

Queries about the event can be directed to:

Diego Villalobos, diego.villalobos@comcom.govt.nz

CPD Hours:

Lawyers may note that if this seminar is part of your learning objectives in your CPDPR, then attendance at this event can count for one hour of your 10 CPD hours. Please contact a LEANZ representative at the event to confirm your attendance.