Reports & Media

If you're going to read the Commerce Commission's market study on supermarkets in New Zealand, I'd suggest starting with the first half of Chapter 6 which explains the difficulties facing any potential new entrant. As far as I'm concerned, evidence on margins and such really don't mean much unless there are substantial restrictions against new entry. Read more

A few days ago, the Otaki Medical Centre posted about one of their doctors on Facebook: “We’re disappointed to have lost Dr Richards back to the UK after being unable to secure him and his family residency due to a Government freeze in place with COVID-19,” the GP practice wrote. “Here is an amazing doctor, who cares about our community and wanted to make NZ home. Read more

We seem to be living in a time of shameless posturing about caring for ‘our’ wellbeing by the government, and too many government agencies to list. The posturing reminds me of the saying - in the context of runs on a bank - that if a bank has to proclaim its virtue, it has already lost it. Read more

One of the finest shows on economic affairs was ‘Clarke and Dawe’. The two satirists collaborated from 1989 until John Clarke’s death 2017. Read more

What happens to even the best juggler when ball after ball is added to his load? Sooner or later, collapse is inevitable. Read more

Countries have political rallies, of course. But when they take place in France, with its revolutionary history, they always appear more passionate. Read more

About a year ago, North American friends started looking to New Zealand as an early glimpse of their own potential post-Covid world. They were still stuck in lockdowns; we had emerged from ours. Read more

Two cars pull up to a traffic light. One is a farmer in his trusty ute. Read more

Inflation numbers for the June quarter are out. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 3.3% in the year to June. Read more

The government allocated $50 billion in Budget 2020 to deal with the pandemic - on top of the $12.1 billion already allocated. We were going to spend what was needed for a strong public health response. Read more

Last week's protests by farmers show it is only a matter of time until the Government's punitive approach on emissions will fail. With each new policy the Government is burning political capital at a faster rate than it is cutting emissions. Read more

Governments and councils have two basic levers for achieving policy objectives. They can spend money on programmes aimed at providing the desired outcome. Read more