Assistance to the tourist industry

This study has been carried out as part of the government's continuing review of the economy, in particular the levels of assistance provided to various sectors, and examines the levels of assistance given to the tourism sector in New Zealand. The measurement of the effective rates of assistance (as distinct from effective rate of protection) is a relatively new concept but has recently become accepted as a comparative analysis tool. It allows different forms of assistance to be aggregated and for a comparison of the assistance to different sectors of the economy

Development of the South Canterbury / Otago southern bluefin tuna fishery

There is concern that many of New Zealand's inshore fish species are being overfished to the extent that fishing effort will have to be reduced to ensure the continued existence of some species as commercial stocks. A dual solution of both reducing the total level of fishing effort and transferring fishing effort to alternative fisheries to alleviate the problem is possible. This report examines the economics of transferring fishing effort to southern bluefin tuna capture off the South Canterbury / Otago coast, and is therefore an example of the problems and potential in transferring fishing effort. The study pays particular attention to the extension needs in developing fisheries using the results of a census of skippers in the region. Two chapters have been included to give the reader some background to the southern bluefin tuna fishery and the South Canterbury/Otago fishery. From this information the potential benefits of development, the direct cost of catching bluefin and the opportunity cost of foregoing catching traditional species have been estimated. The indirect costs of providing the necessary infrastructure for development were estimated from the survey. The survey also provided information on the readiness of fishermen and their vessels to undertake southern bluefin tuna fishing. This paper does not consider the effect on the traditional fish stocks of transferring catching effort to alternative fisheries. However, consideration is given to the economics of transferring catching effort to alternative fisheries regardless of the reasons for having an effort reduction scheme. The cost benefit analysis has seven scenarios based on the extent to which developing the bluefin fishing is able to alleviate the present inshore fisheries management problems

Recreation demand estimation in New Zealand : An example of the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Forest Parks

This paper is in two parts. The first examines methods of recreation resource evaluation while the second uses an existing data base to discuss the potential applications of one such method in New Zealand. The specific objectives of the report are: 1. To discuss common economic methods of resource valuation, highlighting both their limitations, and potential contributions to the land use debate. 2. To demonstrate the use of one of these methods in valuing a New Zealand recreational resource

Biological control of gorse: an ex-ante evaluation

The incorporation of an economic input to the evaluation of the potential outcome of scientific research work is a relatively new development in New Zealand. This Research Report presents an analysis of the possible effect a research programme output may have on the New Zealand agricultural scene. The possible outcomes have been quantified and an estimation of the value of those outcomes has been provided. This can be used in an assessment of whether work should proceed on the research project, both in terms of the possible outcome values and the costs yet to be incurred carrying out the research. The objective of this report is to estimate the benefits and costs to New Zealand if agents were introduced to naturally regulate gorse. The costs of gorse include both the direct costs of control and indirect costs in the form of the opportunity cost of lost production.Department of Scientific and Industrial Researc

The future of global sugar markets: Policies, reforms, and impact

"Sugar is one of the most highly protected agricultural commodities worldwide. This protection depresses trade opportunities and the prices received by exporters without preferential market access. For this reason, dialogues about sugar policy are often polarized and short sound bites caustic. Yet today's sugar markets are being driven by a complex array of dynamic and emerging supply, demand, and policy forces that need to be understood. A number of these forces have the potential to reshape the global market scene. Recent sugar policy reforms in the European Union (EU) have received little attention in North America but may turn the EU into a net importer, with substantial compensation paid to its farmers and displaced processing facilities. High oil prices and the related ethanol boom place Brazil at the fulcrum of new market developments. In the United States, corn sweetener and sugar markets are being integrated with Mexican markets under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), raising the question of whether the EU reforms provide a template for new policies. And among developing countries in Africa and elsewhere there are low-cost producers that would benefit from more open trade but others who would be disadvantaged by the loss of preferential markets. This discussion paper presents the proceedings of a one-day conference that served as a forum for the discussion of these and other critical issues affecting global sugar markets, policies, and reform options. The conference was attended by 60 representatives of governments, research institutions, producers and processors from the sugar sector, and other groups interested in sugar markets and policies. The four papers were presented by internationally recognized experts from the EU, Brazil, the United States, and South Africa. Discussion openers and general discussion at the conference added further policy insights, and the papers were edited and revised after the conference to reflect the dialogue that had occurred." from authors' abstractsugar, Ethanol, NAFTA, WTO, Trade policy,