The government plans to build 100,000 ‘affordable’ houses in the next 10 years. How much greater is the housing stock likely to be in 10, 15 or 20 years as a result? Read more
The head of the country's largest Māori public health organisation wants the Government to develop a strategy to end tobacco sales in New Zealand. Hāpai Te Hauora chief executive Lance Norman made the call at a briefing of the health and Māori affairs select committees on the country's Smokefree 2025 target. Read more
Eric Crampton comments on the new taxi service to rival Uber. Zoomy now has more than 80,000 app downloads and more than 2000 drivers, but can it become profitable? Read more
While our tobacco policy is flawed, the Government needs to make the most of new technology like vaping, argues Jenesa Jeram argues on Newstalk ZB. Read more
The candles have barely dimmed since his last birthday and we’re already celebrating Karl Marx’s 200th birthday, capitalism’s arch-critic. Over the past couple of centuries, capitalism has come to dominate a large part of the Western world. Read more
A few weeks ago, I wrote in Insights that public health policy works in mysterious ways. I stand by that statement. Read more
The two most exciting items in this year’s budget barely even made it into the budget tables. Both point toward better fiscal futures. Read more
Government spending decisions can be popular or unpopular; they can be justified and unjustified. We all like to criticise the government for unjustified spending to increase its popularity. Read more
The best thing about budgets in New Zealand is that they are just a little bit boring. Our fiscal conventions ensure big changes are telegraphed well in advance. Read more
Eric Crampton discusses Budget 2018 with Andrew Dickens. He says there are not many surprises, but he does find a few risks. Read more
Wellington (17 May 2018): The New Zealand Initiative applauds today’s Budget 2018 announcement of an independent fiscal institution. Associate Finance Minister James Shaw announced a new independent body to assess government forecasts and cost political party election promises. Read more
There is a lot to be said for America’s federal structure. Fifty different states each trying different things not only lets policy better suit local preferences, but also helps researchers figure out the effects of different policies. Read more
Kludges are short-term fixes that can patch things over until the main problem can be addressed. If the latch for the rear hatch on your people-mover breaks, a kludge that ties it shut until you can get it to the garage for repairs is just the thing. Read more
Wellington (10 May 2018): Youth uptake of smoking is declining, but more support is needed to help current smokers quit. A new report Smoke and Vapour: the changing world of tobacco harm reduction released by think tank The New Zealand Initiative describes the way e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery products can contribute to tobacco harm reduction. Read more
Tobacco policy in New Zealand has traditionally neglected the needs of smokers. The good news is that youth uptake of smoking has significantly declined. Read more