A Nicotine League to combat smoking
In the late 70s, an American public health council teamed up with DC Comics to create the villain Nick O’Teen. Nick O’Teen was an enemy of Superman. Read more
27 April, 2018
Freedom to teach and freedom of speech
Tracey Martin wants to regulate the meaning of a commonly used word. It is a breath-taking ambition, even for a politician. Read more
Roger Partridge
27 April, 2018
On a Dutch desert highway...
The BBC recently reported that Dutch authorities had removed singing road lines one day after their installation. Special strips in the asphalt played the anthem of the Friesland province if motorists drove over them at the correct speed of 60 kph. Read more
20 April, 2018
Foreign advice on foreign buyers
The International Monetary Fund has concluded its 2018 visit to New Zealand, checking with a broad range of stakeholders on how things are going here. Executive Director Oliver Hartwich and I were happy to share our views with them last week. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
20 April, 2018
A festival of education
As recently as in the 1920s, cyclists in the Tour de France would take ‘smoking breaks’, assisting team-mates to light-up while still cycling. Since then, scientific research and evidence has well and truly debunked the myth that smoking is good for athletic performance. Read more
Briar Lipson
20 April, 2018
Blowing the whistle on the Commerce Commission
Does it matter if businesses do not respect their regulators? According to Finance Minister Grant Robertson, it does. Read more
Roger Partridge
20 April, 2018
Why the ban on foreign homebuyers is so very dumb
On Tuesday, economist Eric Crampton argued that legislation to prohibit foreign property buyers will do nothing to alleviate the housing crisis. Today, he lays out all the other reasons why the ban makes no sense. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
18 April, 2018
The foreign buyer ban is an abomination. Bad in principle, worse in practice
There is not a shred of evidence the prohibition on foreign property buyers will alleviate the housing crisis. It is popu, argues economist Eric Crampton. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
17 April, 2018
Will the Living Standards Framework replace budgetary analysis?
According to Oscar Wilde’s play, Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892), “a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” This quip has since migrated to refer to the economics profession. It tells us much about how economics is perceived. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich
17 April, 2018
Who Guards the Guards?
Government regulation plays an important role in productivity growth. It matters. Read more
16 April, 2018
Storm brewing in country’s power markets
The autumn storm that took out parts of Auckland’s power grid last week spared Wellington. The weather in the capital remained relatively calm – or at least no worse than any other wintry day. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
16 April, 2018
Who Guards the Guards? Regulatory Governance in New Zealand
Confidence in the guardians of 21st century commerce really matters. If consumer confidence is misplaced, it can have disastrous consequences. Read more
Roger Partridge
13 April, 2018
Drilling further into the Government's hole
When you are in a hole, stop drilling. That must have been the Government’s motivation for stopping oil and gas exploration. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich
13 April, 2018
Media release: Regulators need better governance to lift their game
Wellington (13 April 2018): Many of New Zealand’s most important regulatory agencies are performing poorly, research by think tank The New Zealand Initiative reveals. The Commerce Commission and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) showed poor results in the Initiative’s new study Who Guards the Guards? Read more
13 April, 2018
Submission: Education Amendment Bill
Read The New Zealand Initiative's submission to the Education and Workforce Select Committee on the Education Poverty Reduction Bill. Read more
Roger Partridge
13 April, 2018