Since last week’s announcement, Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s proposed social unemployment insurance has been criticised across the political divide. Some complaints relate simply to timing. Read more
The dictionary defines taxonomy as a system of classification, especially in biology. But as any biologist will tell you, this is not always a straightforward task. Read more
A dark part of me hopes the government’s employment insurance scheme is enacted exactly as proposed. It will be terrible. Read more
After weeks of waiting, a heavily abridged report into Downing Street’s party culture was finally published on Monday. The investigation was meant to determine whether UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff broke their own Government’s lockdown rules. Read more
This submission in response to the Commerce Commission’s (Commission) Residential Building Supplies Market Study Preliminary Issues Paperi is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. In combination, our members employ more than 150,000 people. Read more
Officially, New Zealand governments welcome overseas investment. In practice, they do much to thwart it, for no good reason. Read more
The OECD’s country report for New Zealand always reveals sobering home truths. This year’s was no exception. Read more
The early 90s was the last time New Zealand’s Reserve Bank had to get high inflation under control. Does the agency have the will and determination for the fight three decades later? Read more
This week the Government, joined by the Council of Trade Unions and BusinessNZ, launched a policy document on Social Unemployment Insurance. The compulsory scheme would see employers and employees pay an additional 1.39% of an employee’s salary or wages. Read more
On our latest episode of International Outlook, Ben Craven talks to Oliver Hartwich about the tumultuous leadership of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Oliver recounts his own interactions with the larger-than-life politician and explains what impact the latest lockdown party scandal will have on Boris’s leadership and the UK’s place on the global stage. Read more
Last week’s announcement that inflation is at its highest level in more than 30 years was a shock. Consumer prices rose by 5.9% last year, the largest increase since June 1990. Read more
2022 will be an important year for the Government as it decides upon energy and emissions policies. Matt Burgess joins Ben Craven to talk about three of the important developments we can expect to see: • The effects of a $75 ETS price; • The Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan; and • The business case for the proposed Lake Onslow Battery scheme. Read more
Any student of classics would be familiar with the ancient Greek myth of Daedalus and his son Icarus. The pair used wax and feather wings to escape from the island of Crete. Read more
Toward the end of the classic Vietnam war film Apocalypse Now, Captain Willard finally found the object of his quest: the mad Colonel Kurtz. Kurtz asked whether Willard agreed with their superiors who believed that Kurtz’s methods were unsound. Read more
When something seems too good to be true, it usually is. New Zealand's apparently record-low unemployment figures are a classic case. Read more