New Zealand

Overview

New Zealand lands at #60 of 72 on the Cooked Index — #60 Most Cooked. The clearest fault line runs through housing policy: housing cost burden (31% cost-burdened by housing) is worse than 64% of countries tracked. Political institutions isn't far behind — political polarization trails 17% of the field. And economic policy rounds out the picture: income inequality (Gini 33.9) sits worse than 47% of countries. Same scoreboard, different departments.

Overall score: 18/100 — 9 points below the global median of 27 (higher = more cooked). Where the system is holding up: billionaires hoarded (3 billionaires) — better than 75% of countries tracked. The story here isn't the country — it's the housing policy stack behind these numbers.

Sources: OECD Affordable Housing Database (HC1.2) (2024) · V-Dem + Global Peace Index (2025) · World Bank — Gini Index (SI.POV.GINI) (2018–2022)