John MacDonald talks with Dr Eric Crampton, head of research at The New Zealand Initiative, on the growing gap between rich and poor in New Zealand. This is after it was revealed that New Zealand's two richest men have more money than 30% of the NZ population. Read more
Eric Crampton is a thin, boyish-looking Canadian who brings an original perspective and even a sense of fun to economic debates, which have not traditionally been a source of great humour. A case in point. Read more
While in Fremantle, Western Australia, our Research Fellow, Dr Randall Bess, spent some time with John Harrison, CEO of the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council. With a background in both recreational and commercial fishing, Mr Harrison considers it is imperative that both sectors collaborate to find workable solutions to fisheries problems Read more
Christmas is getting better. Maybe it’s because Kiwis are getting better at keeping New Year's resolutions. Read more
While in Perth, Western Australia, our Research Fellow, Dr Randall Bess, was able to get on the water with Andrew Cribb from the Department of Fisheries. Even though the fishing wasn’t great that day, Hillarys Boat Harbour was impressive, as was the number of boats on the water. Read more
Our Research Fellow, Dr Randall Bess, spent some time with Andrew Cribb from the Western Australia Department of Fisheries. Mr Cribb is the architect of the new fisheries legislation that, amongst other things, includes the ability to reallocate catch levels between fishing sectors. Read more
Now that Steven Joyce is to be given the Finance Minister reins, it is worth looking forward to what a Joycean finance ministry might bring. Joyce took a very active role in his administration at MBIE. 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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Everyone is familiar with the idea of keeping up with the Joneses. It comes from an early 20th century American comic strip featuring the social-climbing McGinis family and their struggle to keep up with their more affluent neighbours, the Joneses. Read more
When assessing John Key’s legacy, context is critical. Key came into office in late 2008 in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Read more
New Zealand has had a pretty decent eight years under John Key. The rest of the world’s descent into madness accelerated sharply, and New Zealand’s has looked better by comparison. Read more
I leaned at the bench, feeling exhausted. Looking around, I could tell they were all feeling much the same. Read more