Ideas introduced through the European Enlightenment changed the way that people thought about opportunities for society and for themselves, giving rise to the “Great Enrichment.” People throughout the world today are vastly more prosperous and healthy, and live longer lives, than ever before. These developments have been shared by New Zealanders. I review a wide spectrum of data which shows that whether one takes a 100 year view, a 50 year view or a shorter view, life is much better today than it was in past decades. Yet people are not necessarily more satisfied with their lives. I review why this may be the case, pointing to ways in which intrapersonal and interpersonal relativities shape our judgements of how well-off we are. I also highlight one major policy deficiency – housing affordability – which reduces wellbeing in New Zealand, especially amongst renters and the young. Acknowledgements
I pay homage to John Clark (Fred Dagg) for penning the sub-title, and to Lew Evans, my former colleague and co-author, from whom I learned a great deal about economics and public policy; sadly, Lew died as this paper was nearing completion. I have had many fruitful discussions with colleagues at Victoria University of Wellington and at Motu Research, and with family and friends on this topic. I thank them all.