Much ink has been spilled recently over Auckland Council’s decision to try recover tourism promotion costs from inner-city accommodation providers using a targeted rate. Judging by the temperature of the rhetoric, that ink is boiling hot. Read more
Among transport engineers, the consensus is roundabouts are preferable to crossroads. They reduce crash risks, improve traffic flow and are less expensive to maintain than traffic lights. Read more
Sir Douglas Myers, well known and respected for his business and philanthropic interests and recognised as such, died this last week at the age of 78 after a long battle with cancer. Sir Douglas was also known for his lifelong passion for fishing. Read more
You may be in a spot of trouble if you ever really wind up having to kill two birds with the throw of one stone. It is a tricky shot to pull off. Read more
George W Bush’s most famous quote is the one he got so fantastically wrong. Repeating an old Tennessee saying, he meant to say “fool me once, shame on you. Read more
When it comes to fisheries, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Over the past year, the public has learned both MPI and its predecessor have failed to cope with problems of misreporting and illegal discarding of commercial catches. Read more
There are election campaigns, there are weird election campaigns, and there are New Zealand election campaigns. I arrived in this beautiful country five years ago, having previously lived in Germany, the UK and Australia. Read more
What do you think is more harmful: Smoking a cigarette and inhaling the hundreds of toxic chemical by-products? Or inhaling a nicotine vapour without them? Read more
Two months ago, the world witnessed something of a horror, well, at least in my mind: The moment the Donald Trump became the new leader of the free world. When I contemplate on the moments before and after that day, I can’t help but think of Shakespeare’s quip: “Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t”. Read more
Manifesto 20217: What the next New Zealand government should do, spells out what The New Zealand Initiative expects the next government to tackle after the 2017 General Election. It is immaterial to us which parties form the government. Read more
Wellington (3 April 2017): Election years should be times in which the country debates policies and decides on its future. But to make this happen, voters need to be informed about the challenges New Zealand faces – and the choices we have. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative's Executive Director Dr Oliver Hartwich discusses Manifesto 2017, the housing crisis and education on The AM Show.
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Sometimes it is possible to want something too much. It can cloud your judgment and lead to decisions you will later regret. Read more
A few years ago, British schools got worried about their bad students. Not so much about the fact they were not learning enough. Read more