A motto I live by is to hope for the best but expect the worst. As such, I was disappointed but not surprised to hear immigration minister Michael Woodhouse announce this week that the government is getting tougher on immigration policy. Read more
The future is uncertain but that technology’s role will become more important is as safe a prediction as any. This was the key message in a talk by renowned futurologist Peter Cochrane to the Initiative this week. Read more
“In a connected world no man is an island and neither is his country” Economies and workforces are now globalised with wealth generation determined by the connectivity of national infrastructures, industrial investment and workforce adaptability. Unfortunately, history gives us little guidance to our future as we have never before enjoyed such technological riches or endured the accelerating rates of change! Read more
There is a fishing saying, ‘When in doubt, exaggerate.’ At least that is what comes to mind when the fishing industry repeatedly refers to the quota management system (QMS) as world leading. In some respects, the QMS may well have maintained world leading status after 30 years, but certainly not with respect to holding commercial fishers accountable for their catches. Read more
Given the Government has set targets for pretty much everything else – from eradicating stoats to eradicating smokers, a target for reducing child poverty doesn’t seem too much of a stretch, right? John Key received quite a bit of flak this week for refusing to agree to a poverty reduction target, arguing that there are many different ways of measuring poverty, and it is difficult to pick just one. Read more
Perched in the high vantage of a think tank it is easy to spot a politician who by accident stumbles on a major problem in our society simply by opining on one or other of the issues of the day. Most recently it was the turn of ACT Party Leader David Seymour to perform this accidental but vital service to society. Read more
With the domestic sale of electronic cigarettes set for legalisation, the Ministry of Health is deciding on regulations to govern where, how and to whom they’re sold. The NZ Initiative’s Jenesa Jeram makes the argument for a light hand. Read more
When you are running out of ideas on how to spoil a party, just invite a German. That must have been the idea when Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Andrew Butler asked me to speak at the Auckland launch of their book, Constitution of Aotearoa New Zealand. Read more
Next week New Zealanders will elect their local government representatives for the next three years. This is an important democratic right, and yet three in five New Zealanders will probably choose to do just about anything but vote. Read more
Having attended a couple of conferences in Miami last week, it was time to fly back to New Zealand on Monday night (US Eastern Standard Time). The in-flight entertainment on our domestic flight to LA was excellent: we had live TV, and the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was on. Read more
While most would say Clinton emerged the more composed and polished candidate in the United States presidential debate, it would appear Trump won at least one important battle. More people were talking about him on Twitter. Read more
Dr Andrew Butler and Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s new book, A Written Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand, proposes radical changes. This is not entirely a surprise. Read more
There are ominous rumblings of another European banking crisis this evening. Germany's biggest commercial bank, Deutsche Bank, is being asked to stump up $18 billion to US authorities for dodgy dealings in the lead up to the global financial crisis. Read more
Wellington (28 September 2016): The way we financially support students through tertiary education must be changed, says public policy think tank The New Zealand Initiative, following the announcement that the amount owed in default payments by overseas borrowers now exceeds the $1 billion mark. Having zero interest on domestic-based loans was a way of discouraging borrowers from moving abroad, but as we surpass this milestone it can hardly be called a success. Read more
A back-to-basics approach is more important than fads when it comes to regional economic development. If rising house prices are not enough to make Wellington residents feel better about themselves, a recent article about the city’s vibrant economy and culture should do the trick. Read more