Research into law, politics and community services was the third-biggest expenditure in the higher education sector in 2016, Statistics New Zealand's Research and Development Survey 2016 shows.
Expenditure on law, politics and community services was estimated at $80 million in the sector, out of a total of $960 million. The biggest research and development expenditure in the higher education sector was for health ($203 million).
In the business sector, law, politics and community services sector was second-lowest, at an estimated $6 million, but ahead of cultural understanding ($3 million). It was also relatively low in the government sector at $7 million, although expenditure in several areas for that sector was deemed confidential ("C" in the table below).
Research and Development Expenditure 2016, Statistics New Zealand
| Purpose of research | Expenditure sector | Total | ||||||
| Business | Government | Higher education | ||||||
| $(million) | ||||||||
| Primary industries | 266 | 214 | 62 | 542 | ||||
| Energy | 37 | 31 | 36 | 105 | ||||
| Manufacturing | 478 | 93 | 71 | 642 | ||||
| Construction and transport | 151 | 0 | 38 | 190 | ||||
| Information and communication services | 258 | C | C | 335 | ||||
| Commercial services and tourism | 112 | C | C | 133 | ||||
| Health | 139 | 37 | 203 | 378 | ||||
| Education and training | 14 | C | C | 119 | ||||
| Law, politics, and community services | 6 | 7 | 80 | 93 | ||||
| Cultural understanding | 3 | C | C | 84 | ||||
| Economic framework | 7 | 9 | 34 | 50 | ||||
| Environment | 19 | 223 | 72 | 315 | ||||
| Other | 111 | 20 | 15 | 146 | ||||
| Knowledge – no specific purpose | … | … | 85 | 85 | ||||
| Total | 1,602 | 654 | 960 | 3,216 | ||||