In March this year, the Prime Minister spoke at our members' retreat in Auckland. Members took the opportunity to express concerns about specific regulatory imposts for which there seemed to be inadequate justification. Read more
I have a vested interest in refugee matters. Not only at a personal level, having arrived in New Zealand as a refugee 20 years ago, but I have also spent the past 10 years working with refugee communities in various capacities. Read more
Dr Bryce Wilkinson on Radio NZ: Blocked sale of station may worry other investors Read more
It’s a rare day I do not pass by one of Wellington’s many bucket collectors. On my morning walk from the train station through to Lambton Quay, it’s more common to see at least three or four of them than to see none. Read more
At The New Zealand Initiative researchers are exposed to a wide array of interesting information from various sources. Some of this relates research, others just fit into areas of interest. Read more
Shortly after being chosen by his party as Australia’s new Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull singled out one international leader as his role model: his New Zealand counterpart. “John Key has been able to achieve very significant economic reforms in New Zealand by doing just that, by taking on and explaining complex issues and then making the case for them,” Turnbull told the media. Read more
This week the people of Central Hawkes Bay, Wairoa, Napier and Hastings voted two-to-one against a proposal to merge their authorities into a mega-council. The move is a third black eye for the National-led government in recent years, which seems to view bigger-is-better as the model for local government. Read more
In ground-breaking research conducted by the University of Cambridge, it has been discovered that “people consistently consume more food and drink when offered larger-sized portions, packages or tableware.” In other words, if you are offered more food, you tend to eat more food. Anyone who has visited a buffet restaurant could have drawn the same conclusion. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich on ABC Radio Late Night Live: Why Europe Failed Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich on ABC Radio Between the Lines: Why Europe Failed Read more
Last week, I wrote in this column that Europe’s refugee crisis could undo the EU. This week, I notice how much progress has been achieved in that respect over the past seven days. Read more
Wellington (17 September 2015): The New Zealand Initiative today said that Cabinet’s blocking of the Lochinver Farm sale to Shanghai Pengxin shows that the Overseas Investment Act (OIA) is not fit for purpose. The decision goes completely against NZ’s international reputation as a place to do business, but is unfortunately consistent with New Zealand’s poor OECD ranking for openness to foreign investment. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich discusses the economy with Paul Henry on 11 September 2015, and talks about a potential future GFC. Read more
Wellington (15 September 2015): The New Zealand Initiative says the Productivity Commission’s final report on improving outcomes from social services underscores the need to constantly assess their effectiveness. Jenesa Jeram, a researcher at The New Zealand Initiative, said that the commission was right to note that there are many social services that continue to receive funding without proper assessment of their impact or cost-effectiveness. Read more
Do older Australians hate younger Australians? This is a question that some were left pondering after attending a recent presentation by John Daley of the Grattan Institute on the urbanisation challenge facing Australian cities. Read more