Te Utu Tika Hei Oranga i Aotearoa – Basic Income New Zealand

Resources

For Articles and other material relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, see our Pandemics & COVID-19 page.

Click on underlined items or Bold titles to go to links. The most recent items are at the top of each section.

The  NZ  icon denotes a New Zealand source or context. 

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Books

The books listed below are either about Basic Income or strongly support the case for it, or provide related information. They are in release order, with the most recent at the top.

Our list is incomplete. Please let us know the details of any books that we have not included or any errors in the list.

Click here for Scott Santens’ list of Basic Income books.

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2020

* Read more – Pope Francis: Let us dream

Pope Francis explicitly mentions and supports Universal Basic Income (UBI) in his book, Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future. [1, 2] First published by Simon & Schuster on December 1, 2020. This support has been endorsed by his successor, Pope Leo XIV. See details below.

See the BIEN Review by Malcolm Torry.

In the book, he advocates for UBI as a tool to recognise the value of non-earners and to provide dignity to workers. Key points regarding his support include: [3, 4]

  • Exploration of the Concept: He states that it is “time to explore concepts like the universal basic income,” which he also refers to as a “negative income tax”.
  • Dignity and Labour: He argues that UBI could reshape labour market relations by allowing people the “dignity of refusing employment terms that trap them in poverty”.
  • Post-Pandemic Vision: Francis views UBI as a way to “humanise our surroundings” and ensure that the integration of the poor is a central objective of society as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis.
  • Practical Implementation: He describes it as an “unconditional flat payment to all citizens” that could potentially be distributed through a country’s tax system. [1, 3, 5, 6, 7]

The proposal is part of his broader “Plan to Rise Again,” which calls for an economy that prioritizes human dignity and the common good over mere profit. [4, 8, 9]

Other economic reforms are included in the book.

[1] https://worldmissionmagazine.com

[2] https://books.google.com

[3] https://www.catholicvoices.org.uk

[4] https://www.tandfonline.com

[5] https://dg.saveriani.org

[6] https://worldmissionmagazine.com

[7] https://transformaeconomia.org

[8] https://uscatholic.org

[9] https://www.mayonews.ie

Update

Pope Leo XIV has explicitly chosen to carry on the reformist legacy of Pope Francis regarding poverty and social justice. While the term “Universal Basic Income” (UBI) is often used in political debates, both popes use slightly different terminology and theological framing: [1, 2]

  • Explicit Endorsement of Continuity: In his first major teaching document, the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te (“I Have Loved You”), Leo XIV stated that the text was originally being prepared by Pope Francis. Leo expressed he was “happy to make this document my own,” officially adopting Francis’s focus on eradicating “unjust” economic structures.
  • “Universal Basic Wage” vs. UBI: Like Francis, Leo XIV has focused on a “universal basic wage”. This is often interpreted by scholars as a call for a guaranteed minimum income that dignifies “invisible” or “unprotected” work (such as caregiving or community service), which current market systems often ignore.
  • Response to Modern Challenges: Leo XIV has specifically updated this position to address Artificial Intelligence (AI). He argues that as technology replaces human labour, the Church must propose new social protections—like a guaranteed income—to ensure human dignity remains the priority over profit. [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

In summary, Leo XIV does not just support Francis’s position; he has integrated it into his own platform as a necessary moral response to modern inequality and technological displacement. [8, 9]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org

[2] https://www.facebook.com

[3] https://www.cnn.com

[4] https://www.youtube.com

[5] https://cruxnow.com

[6] https://www.catholicworldreport.com

[7] https://www.americamagazine.org

[8] https://www.pbs.org

[9] https://en.abouna.org

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This list of books on Basic Income published before 2016 is incomplete. Please help us complete it.

Before 2016

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Government reports and comments on the reports
Journal Articles and other papers

Selected Journal articles and other papers.
This list is incomplete.

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Before 2015

Articles in the media

Selected media articles. This list is incomplete.

2026

Universal Basic Income deserves another look – summary

Universal Basic Income (UBI) has deep roots in modern economic thought, beginning with Milton Friedman’s late‑1940s proposal for a negative income tax. At the founding meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society, Friedman argued that liberals should fight poverty while avoiding large bureaucracies and market‑distorting welfare systems. His negative‑income‑tax model was not identical to UBI, but it shared the goal of providing a guaranteed minimum income while preserving incentives to work.

Over time, versions of the idea have attracted support across the political spectrum. Once associated with free‑market conservatives in the United States, UBI is now more commonly promoted by European left‑leaning thinkers such as Thomas Piketty and Yanis Varoufakis. In New Zealand, elements of UBI have appeared in proposals from the Opportunities Party, the Greens, and earlier policy work by figures such as Sir Roger Douglas and Sir Lockwood Smith.

The core problem Friedman sought to solve remains pressing: New Zealand’s welfare system often imposes very high effective marginal tax rates. As people earn more, benefits such as Working for Families or the Accommodation Supplement are withdrawn, meaning some households lose up to 80% of each additional dollar earned. This discourages extra work and contrasts sharply with New Zealand Superannuation, whose universal design avoids such disincentives.

Friedman believed a simplified system could reduce poverty, shrink bureaucracy, and treat recipients with greater dignity by eliminating intrusive eligibility processes. Critics argue that unconditional payments weaken work incentives, cost too much, and give money to people who do not need it. Supporters counter that UBI could streamline today’s complex web of income supports while preserving targeted assistance for those with exceptional needs.

With welfare now a routine feature of middle‑class life and technological change reshaping labour markets, the long‑running debate over UBI deserves renewed attention.

The full editorial is behind a paywall.
To read the full editorial, click here.

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Before 2015

Blogs and substack
Ganesh R Ahirao and Fiscal myths and economic reality.

Ganesh R Ahiro (also known as Ganesh Nana) is a prominent economist and public policy figure in New Zealand, recognised for his work addressing health equity, economics, and for serving as the former Chair of the New Zealand Productivity Commission.

Addressing a symposium in Wellington on 26th June 2026, Ganesh R Ahirao said,

“We also need to be equipped to challenge the pernicious – and frankly, dangerous – myths about public finance. Myths that have sadly taken on almost biblical status. The doctrine of responsible fiscal management has been built on these myths. The Public Finance Act has institutionalised the neo-liberal concept that government’s role in an economy must be kept small. And the myth that a small government is a good government, and a good government is a small government, is echoed in this Act through the legislated principles of responsible fiscal management.”

To read the text of Ganesh’s address on Substack , follow the link above.

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Scott Santens

Scott Santens is a prominent American writer, activist, and one of the world’s most influential full-time advocates for Universal Basic Income (UBI). Often referred to as a core thought leader in the modern basic income movement, he is widely recognised for his extensive writing, media commentary, and digital organising on economic security, automation, and poverty alleviation.

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Video and audio

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Miscellaneous
Items by date

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Examples of Basic Incomes in action

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Submissions

United Nations

New Zealand Submissions advocating Basic Income

Newsletters and Events

Our past newsletters and event notices can be found on our Newsletters and Events page.

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