ECONOMIC COMPLEXITY AND THE NEW ZEALAND WINE INDUSTRY Implications for Government Policy in the Primary Sector

New Zealand’s primary sector is facing uncertainty from all angles, but GDP figures indicate the country’s economy is performing well.
Herein lies a gap between traditional measures of economic performance and the country’s economic resilience. An alternative measure based on Economic Complexity (EC) principles is applied to New Zealand and its implications for the primary sector are discussed.
EC can uncover causal links between economic performance and resilience where traditional methods appear to fail.
Five key recommendations are made in relation to New Zealand’s primary sector and wine industry: Adopt complexity analysis in policy making; Make industry network gaps transparent; Establish knowledge networks; Structure industry knowledge and Invest in R&D early.