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
Executive Director Dr Oliver Hartwich discusses the results of the 13th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey results - that show Sydney as being second in the list of the world's most unaffordable cities to own a home, and Auckland at fourth.
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A new housing affordability study by Demographia shows: Buying a median house in Sydney is now more costly than in any other world city - with the exception of Hong Kong. Should we celebrate or mourn this fact? Read more
For all of John Key’s achievements, his administration failed miserably in one area: housing affordability. When he became prime minister in 2008, house prices were already high. Read more
For some people, Christmas has come early. Just think of our new Prime Minister Bill English. Read more
There is no doubt that Aucklanders want to live in a world-class city. There is less agreement on what that means. Read more
On Sydney's 2GB Radio, Dr Oliver Hartwich reflects on John Key's time as Prime Minister and looks forward to what we can expect from Bill English.
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2016 has delivered some immense political shocks, raising the question just why are our politicians and institutions, and everything we once trusted, now so on the nose? To analyse this and to offer some expert forecast, Phillip Adams is joined by Greg Sheridan from the Australian, Laura Tingle from the Australian Financial Review, Dr Oliver Hartwich from the think tank The New Zealand Initiative and Beatrix Campbell, British journalist, author and playwright. Read more
By any measure, this year was not short of political surprises, from Brexit to Donald Trump. Yet neither was as shocking as John Key’s resignation as New Zealand Prime Minister yesterday. Read more
There are growing concerns tonight about the economic implications of Italy's referendum result for the European Union. The win of the "no" vote is another example of a populist victory sweeping western politics. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich talks to Mitch Harris on RadioLive about whether Europe could fall apart before Brexit.
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Following the death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro, US public opinion guru Frank Luntz provided some good advice on Twitter: “If you praise Fidel Castro, don’t expect anyone to take your criticism of Donald Trump seriously.” If only Frank Luntz had more Twitter followers. Though proverbs remind us not to speak ill of the dead, there is no need to wax lyrical about them either. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich talks to Mark Sainsbury about New Zealand's housing crisis and the increasing debt burden for first home buyers. This follows the announcement from the Reserve bank saying the average Kiwis are struggling with record mortgage debt - with the average amount being borrowed jumping up 43% in the last two years to $390,000. Read more
Once upon a time, in a previous life it now seems, I wrote a doctoral thesis on the law and economics of advertising regulation. One of the fun facts I still remember is a paradox in people’s attitudes towards advertising. Read more
According to most commentators, the election of Donald J. Trump signifies the end of the West, the end of the international post-War framework, or at least the end of the United States. Read more
Have we ever witnessed a stranger US election campaign? What started off looking like a bad joke has now become a possibility: Reality TV star and self-proclaimed business genius Donald Trump becoming the 45th US President. Read more