Introduction to the special issue on agriculture in New Zealand and the Pacific: challenges and opportunities

The primary sector has been a key factor for the economy and the society of New Zealand for hundreds of years.1 The sector was responsible for 11% of total GDP, 14% of total employment, and 52.2 billion NZD in export revenue in 2022 (Ministry for the Primary Industries, 2022). It is also one of the critical sectors in reducing the country’s climate impact, as it was responsible for approximately 50% of national greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 (Ministry for the Environment, 2022). A complex web of technological advances, (global and national) population growth, a rising global middle-class, government policies (e.g. disincentives, taxation, expansion of biofuels), and the need to reduce the environmental footprint create opportunities and challenges for this important sector. This Special Issue on ‘Agriculture in New Zealand and the Pacific: Challenges and Opportunities’ is the first of its kind for the New Zealand Economic Papers. The Special Issue consists only of short policy papers written by experts. They offer their perspective on a wide range of topics related to the current state and the future of agriculture in New Zealand and the Pacific. Of course, the Special Issue does not cover ‘all’ topics andmany important topics could not be covered. Nevertheless, the 17 papers in this Special Issue cover a broad range of important and relevant topics from technological innovations, sustainable agriculture, reducing food waste, to food from the sea. The idea for this Special Issue is to learn from experts in the field, to open the conversation about agriculture in New Zealand and the Pacific, and to reflect on what we have learned from the past and how we can shape the future. Importantly, the authors give suggestions for policymakers to assist the sector in its transformative process towards a sustainable and profitable future. I hope that you will enjoy reading the contributions and that they stimulate a constructive debate about the future of agriculture. Lastly, I wish to thank all contributors for their time and effort they put into contributing to this Special Issue.