Oliver is the Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative. Before joining the Initiative, he was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, the Chief Economist at Policy Exchange in London, and an advisor in the UK House of Lords. Oliver holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Business administration and a PhD in Law from Bochum University in Germany.
Oliver is available to comment on all of the Initiative’s research areas.
Submission: A New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme (2022)
Policy Essay: Effective and affordable – Why the ETS is sufficient to deal with the climate emergency (2020)
Research Note: The Unreserved Bank of New Zealand: Why unorthodox monetary policy needs boundaries (2019)
#localismNZ: Bringing power to the people (2019)
Submission: Future of Tax (2018)
Submission: Overseas Investment Amendment Bill (2018)
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Phone: +64 4 499 0790
BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope joins Oliver Hartwich and Ben Craven on the podcast to discuss the Government's proposed unemployment insurance scheme. What will it mean for employers and employees? Read more
The dictionary defines taxonomy as a system of classification, especially in biology. But as any biologist will tell you, this is not always a straightforward task. Read more
After weeks of waiting, a heavily abridged report into Downing Street’s party culture was finally published on Monday. The investigation was meant to determine whether UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff broke their own Government’s lockdown rules. Read more
This week the Government, joined by the Council of Trade Unions and BusinessNZ, launched a policy document on Social Unemployment Insurance. The compulsory scheme would see employers and employees pay an additional 1.39% of an employee’s salary or wages. Read more
On our latest episode of International Outlook, Ben Craven talks to Oliver Hartwich about the tumultuous leadership of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Oliver recounts his own interactions with the larger-than-life politician and explains what impact the latest lockdown party scandal will have on Boris’s leadership and the UK’s place on the global stage. Read more
Any student of classics would be familiar with the ancient Greek myth of Daedalus and his son Icarus. The pair used wax and feather wings to escape from the island of Crete. Read more
Inflation is now higher than it has been in more than three decades. Matt Burgess and Oliver Hartwich join Ben Craven to discuss the latest inflation figures. Read more
Oliver Hartwich joins Ben Craven to discuss the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Is invasion inevitable, or does Putin have other goals in mind? Read more
We are still five days ahead of Groundhog Day (celebrated on 2 February each year), yet we feel like we have been here before. Only Punxsutawney Phil and Andie MacDowell are missing. Read more
Inflation in New Zealand is at a three decade high. Oliver Hartwich talks to Richard Dean on Duba-based radio station, Dubai Eye, about what is causing New Zealand's high inflation. Read more
Oliver Hartwich joins ABC Australia’s Josh Szeps to discuss the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and whether Putin will invade.
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When 100,000 Russian troops are lining the border with Ukraine, an invasion must be imminent, right? Well, not so fast. Read more
Oliver Hartwich joins Ben Craven for the final NZ Initiative podcast of 2021. The pair recap the highlights of the past twelve months, look at how the Initiative has influenced policy, and outline plans for 2022. Read more
New Year’s and Christmas are traditional occasions to reminisce about the past twelve months and wonder what the next will bring. Looking in the back mirror is easier. Read more
Is there anything worse than a politician who does not understand economics? The answer is a politician who mistakenly thinks he does. Read more