Unit-pricing: Minimising Christchurch Domestic Waste

One economic tool that can aid in the achievement of waste minimisation targets is unit-pricing. Unit-pricing in the waste management sector refers to a pricing system that charges households for their collection and disposal service relative to the amount of waste disposed by the household. This research investigates the potential impact of implementing a unit-pricing policy for domestic waste collection and disposal services in Christchurch. Data is collected using a Contingent Valuation survey. A Poisson Quasi-Maximum Likelihood count model is specified for econometric analysis of demand for Christchurch City Council domestic collection services.Demand for domestic waste service, unit-pricing, Contingent valuation methodology, PQML count model, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Consumer/Household Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Incorporating Local Water Quality in Welfare Measures of Agri-environmental Policy: A Choice Modelling Approach Employing GIS

The spatial distribution of agro-environmental policy benefits has important implications for the efficient allocation of management effort. The practical convenience of relying on sample mean values of individual benefits for aggregation can come at the cost of biased aggregate estimates. The main objective of this paper is to test spatial hypotheses regarding respondents’ local water quality and quantity, and their willingness-to-pay for improvements in water quality attributes. This paper combines choice experiment and spatially related water quality data via a Geographical Information System (GIS) to develop a method that evaluates the influence of respondents’ local water quality on willingness-to-pay for river and stream conservation programs in Canterbury, New Zealand. Results show that those respondents who live in the vicinity of low quality waterway are willing to pay more for improvements relative to those who live near to high quality waterways.Water Quality, Choice Experiment, Geographical Information System, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q51, Q25, Q58,

Valuing agricultural externalities in Canterbury rivers and streams

Water quality and quantity concerns in Canterbury are intrinsically related to agriculture. Monetary values for impacts on streams and rivers is lacking in policy debate. This paper employs choice modelling to estimate values of three impacts on rivers and streams in Canterbury associated with agriculture: health risks of E coli from animal waste, ecological effects of excess nutrients, and low-flow impacts of irrigation. This study provides a valuation of outcomes for public policy implemented in Canterbury such as The Dairy and Clean Streams Accord, Living Streams, and The Restorative Programme for Lowland Streams.non-market-valuation, choice experiment, agricultural externalities, New Zealand, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy,

Consumer attitudes towards sustainability attributes on food labels

With current concerns about climate change and the general status of the environment, there is an increasing expectation that products have sustainability credentials, and that these can be verified. Labelling is a common method of communicating certain product attributes to consumers that may influence their choices. There are different types of labels with several functions. The aim of this study is to investigate consumers‟ purchase decisions towards certain sustainability claims on food products, particularly by displaying the reduction of carbon emissions. Choice outcomes will be evaluated using Discrete Choice Modelling (DCM). Data for the study is obtained by a web-based consumer survey undertaken in the United Kingdom (UK). Results provide information on different attributes effects on consumers‟ purchase decisions, particularly their willingness to pay. This study provides information on consumers‟ attitudes that will assist industries and firms to benefit from market opportunities, in particular assessing the methods by which carbon footprinting measures can be incorporated alongside information on other sustainability criteria in product marketing.food labeling, carbon footprint, discrete choice modeling, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy,

Consumer Attitudes towards Sustainability Attributes on Food Labels

Concerns about climate change and the general status of the environment have increased expectation that food products have sustainability credentials, and that these can be verified. There are significant and increasing pressures in key export markets for information on Greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of products throughout its life-cycle. How this information is conveyed to consumers is a key issue. Labelling is a common method of communicating certain product attributes to consumers that may influence their choices. In a choice experiment concerning fruit purchase decisions, this study estimates willingness to pay for sustainability attributes by consumers in Japan and the UK. The role of label presentation format is investigated: text only, text and graphical, and graphical only. Results indicate that sustainability attributes influence consumers’ fruit purchase decisions. Reduction of carbon in fruit production is shown to be the least valued out of sustainability attributes considered. Differences are evident between presentation formats and between countries, with increased nutrient content being the most sensitive to format and country while carbon reduction is the most insensitive and almost always valued the least.Willingness to pay, Choice experiment, Food labelling, Sustainability, Cross-country comparison, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Q18, Q51, Q56,

Nonmarket valuation of water quality: Addressing spatially heterogeneous preferences using GIS and a random parameter logit model

The spatial distribution of agri-environmental policy benefits has important implications for the efficient allocation of management effort. The practical convenience of relying on sample mean values of individual benefits for aggregation can come at the cost of biased aggregate estimates. The main objective of this paper is to test spatial hypotheses regarding respondents' local water quality and quantity, and their willingness-to-pay for improvements in water quality attributes. This paper combines choice experiment and spatially related water quality data via a Geographical Information System (GIS) to develop a method that evaluates the influence of respondents' local water quality on willingness-to-pay for river and stream conservation programmes in Canterbury, New Zealand. Results showed that those respondents who live in the vicinity of low quality waterways are willing to pay more for improvements relative to those who live near to high quality waterways. The study also found that disregarding the influence of respondents' local water quality data has a significant impact on the magnitude of welfare estimates and causes substantial underestimation of aggregated benefits

Valuing conservation benefits of disease control in wildlife: A choice experiment approach to bovine tuberculosis management in New Zealand's native forests

We assess the non-monetary environmental benefits that accrue incidentally in New Zealand (NZ) from pest management conducted primarily to control an animal disease, bovine tuberculosis (TB). TB is an infectious disease that is one of the world's most serious animal health problems and, in many parts of the developing world, still a major mortality risk for humans. The incidence of TB in New Zealand (NZ) farmed livestock has been reduced progressively over the last 20 years, largely due to extensive and sustained population control of the main wildlife reservoir of disease, the introduced brushtail possum. Possums are also major pests that threaten indigenous forest biodiversity, and so extensive possum control for TB mitigation also incidental benefits conservation, but the extent and public value of this benefit has yet to be quantified. We conducted a choice experiment survey of the NZ public in an effort to value the native forest biodiversity benefits of TB-related possum control. We find strong public support for conservation outcomes consequent to TB-possum control in public native forests. The public place substantial value on the most observable biodiversity benefits of TB possum control, such as improved forest canopies and presence of native birds. The benefits, costs and values of TB-possum control are discussed in relation to the future directives of NZ's TB control programme, which is headed toward first regional and then national level disease eradication

Successful elimination of factor VIII inhibitor using cyclosporin A

No abstract available

New Zealand food and beverage consumer preferences for product attributes and alternative retailers, and in-market use of digital media and smart technology

While much of New Zealand’s primary products are exported, it is still important to understand how domestic consumers value the attributes of food and beverage products, including willingness-to-pay (WTP) for particular product attributes, and use digital media and smart technologies to access information and purchasing food and beverage products. In response to this, firstly a literature review of New Zealand consumer preferences, WTP and technology use was carried out. Secondly, a survey of approximately 1,400 New Zealand consumers was undertaken examining preferences and WTP for credence attributes and their associated factors, attitudes to and use of alternative retailers, and digital media and smart technology use in relation to food and beverages. These results are compared with an overseas study to gain relative insight into the New Zealand market. A distinct difference between New Zealand and international consumers is observed across all factors examined. These results imply that a New Zealand-centric view of international consumers may lead to an underestimation of the potential value that could be captured in international markets

Consumer willingness to pay for environmental attributes – Results from AERU research

This is a brief report summarising the research undertaken at the AERU on the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for attributes of food by consumers for different products and in different markets. The research here covers the period from 2012 to 2019. Consumer preference research in the AERU is predominantly focused on estimating preferences for credence attributes. Examples of credence attributes include those relating to food safety, animal welfare, environmental outcomes, country-of-origin, functional (or healthy) foods and the use of organic production methods. As distinct from search attributes such as appearance or weight, and experience attributes such as taste or texture, credence attributes are not directly verifiable by the consumer either before or after purchase. Where available, consumers rely on labelling or certification schemes to signal the presence of credence attributes. Estimating preferences for credence attributes is empirically difficult due to the lack of labelling of attributes of interest, such as environmental outcomes associated with New Zealand agri-food exports. Even when labels are present (such as pasture-raised or grass-fed), the market price data typically confounds these attributes, therefore negating the ability to use this data to identify the role of individual attributes in consumer preferences. In response to this, the AERU has developed expertise in applying the economic valuation method of Choice Experiments (CE)