Public Forums

Come along and listen to some of New Zealand’s top university debaters battle it out with the moot: Progressive tax rates are unfair. We will have panellists Julian Darby of Russell Investments and Roger Partridge, Chairman of The New Zealand Initiative. Read more

In recent decades, urban planners have been inventing all sorts of abstract objectives to justify their plans for our future cities: smart growth, liveability, and sustainability are among the most recent fads. There is nothing wrong, of course, for a city to be smart, liveable, or sustainable. Read more

The Australian government recently appointed Tim Wilson, an outspoken classical liberal, to its Human Rights Commission. Commissioner Wilson's agenda is ambitious: He seeks to promote a culture of rights and responsibilities so that every citizen understands their rights and confidently stands up for them against government encroachment. Read more

Co-authored by Jason Krupp and Khyaati Acharya, the report analyses the assumption that in order to accommodate an ever-growing population cities need to build up, not out. The idea behind this suggestion is that denser, more compact cities achieve higher levels of productivity, greater housing affordability, better health outcomes and less traffic congestion. Read more

The New Zealand Initiative invites you to the launch of James Allan's new book Democracy in Decline. Professor Allan will speak at public events in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch on 12, 13 and 14 May. Read more

Join us for the launch of the final report in a series on foreign direct investment (FDI). Co-authored by Dr Bryce Wilkinson and Khyaati Acharya, Open for Business makes bold recommendations to open our markets to international capital. Read more

Please join us for the launch of John Morris and Rose Patterson’s final report on teacher quality, where they will discuss how New Zealand can transform teaching into a profession. The first in a three part series of reports identified that teachers are New Zealand’s greatest educational asset. Read more

The New Zealand Initiative invites you to a presentation on how global population changes and economic repolarisation are ushering in a new world order. The future will increasingly be dominated by the Asia-Pacific region. Read more

The New Zealand Initiative is set to launch its third report on New Zealand’s housing affordability crisis. Outlining a series of policy recommendations, it aims to put ownership once again within reach of the average Kiwi family. Read more

We invite you to meet Richard Hooper – a world expert on effective policy making and good regulatory design. Effective policy making and better regulation are both front of mind at present – particularly since the New Zealand Productivity Commission’s recent paper on regulatory institutions and practices. Read more

John Morris and Rose Patterson have been investigating the factors influencing the quality of New Zealand’s teaching profession. Join us for the launch of their first report in a series of three. Read more

LGNZ and The New Zealand Initiative invite you to a panel discussion on alternative options to enable stronger local economies throughout New Zealand By international standards, New Zealand has one of the world's most centralised forms of government. In other OECD economies, local government runs health and police services, accounts for the majority of public investment, and typically controls a third of public spending. Read more

Come along and listen to some of New Zealand’s top university debaters battle over the moot: If you’re young and ambitious you should leave New Zealand. We'll have panellists Stephen Franks of Franks Ogilvie and Minister of Education Hekia Parata. Read more

Come along and listen to some of New Zealand’s top university debaters battle over the moot: Alcohol should not be taxed more than soft drinks. We'll have panellists Rose Patterson and political commentator and blogger David Farrar. Read more

Come along and listen to some of New Zealand’s top university debaters battle over the moot: New Zealand should be going for population growth. We'll have panellists Julian Darby of Russell Investments and Nevil Gibson of The National Business Review. Read more