Do Kiwis really need $193,000 a year to find happiness?

The old saying goes that money can’t buy you happiness – but it turns out, if you do rely on what’s in your wallet to keep you happy, you're going to need a lot of it.  

Recently released analysis has suggested that a Kiwi family needs a household income of just shy of $200,000 to hit that point, with those in Auckland facing a higher price point on the road to contentment.  

But that figure is roughly $80,000 higher than the average household income.  

So, while productivity and tax cuts are being debated on the election campaign trail, is there anything we can do to change our low-wage economy? Or do we need to re-examine the relationship between money and happiness?  

Today, on The Front Page, Auckland University economics Professor Robert MacCulloch, joins Damien to evaluate if any of us can really find enlightenment through our bank balance.  

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

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