The construction industry has made some substantial and laudable moves towards better safety practices. But recent changes in WorkSafe regulations, mandating extensive and expensive scaffolding for roof repairs and new builds adds, indicatively, from two to seven thousand dollars per project. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich on Radio NZ: NZ economist keeping eye on Greek crisis Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich on NBR Radio: 'Ineffective' regulations pushing house prices up.
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Dr Oliver Hartwich on Radio NZ: Preventing falls adds costs to housing Read more
As readers of this column will be aware, I am not Angela Merkel’s greatest fan. Nor do I think that her strategy on Greece has been particularly successful. Read more
Wellington (16 July 2015): As the lack of affordable housing hits crisis levels in Auckland and Christchurch, increased workplace safety compliance is costing Kiwi homeowners more than $100 million a year, according to a new report released today from research institute The New Zealand Initiative. A Matter of Balance: Regulating Safety reveals that a "falls from height" workplace safety campaign from WorkSafe New Zealand (part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE)) is adding thousands of dollars to the cost of building new homes and routine maintenance of existing homes, without proper justification. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich on RadioLIVE discussing Greece with Willie & Alison. Read more
It’s always a bit tough reporting on the New Zealand Economics Association annual conference. Not because the papers are filled with opaque mathematical theory, or because speakers were less than lucid – neither of those are true, for the most part. Read more
The application of Trans-Tasman Resource (TTR) to go looking for heavy minerals off the West Coast captured few headlines when it was announced last month. It quickly sank below notice amid the tack and gybe of business journalism. Read more
No wonder Winston Churchill once won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He had a wonderful way of summing up political affairs, such as this famous quote: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.” We can only wonder what Churchill would make of Europe’s Greek crisis. Read more
On 1 July, smoking in prisons was banned in the Australian state of Victoria, following New Zealand’s lead. But is stripping prisoners of their smokes a benefit to society? Read more
The Kapiti News reported on 17 June 2015 that lower water consumption following the advent of water metering "now means a pricing increase to recover the costs" of piped water supply. Considerable local scoffing ensued. Read more
With the exception of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, the Greek referendum did not produce any winners. But it had one big loser: German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton on RadioLIVE: Should organ donors be paid? Read more