Every time I read another excitable media article about New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern, I am reminded of an old quip: ‘Viewed from a distance, everything is beautiful.’ That was Publius Cornelius Tacitus (AD 58-120). Were this Roman intellectual and historian alive today, he would make a great New York Times columnist. Read more
Everyone knows that the status quo with respect to housing is “unsustainable”. The Prime Minister now seems to recognise the need for fundamental change and the opposition has recently offered to work with the government to find non-partisan solutions. Read more
This week, Stuff’s Thomas Coughlan uncovered an extraordinary story of last-minute heroics by officials who demanded good practice on an important decision. As Cabinet prepared to make its final decision on the proposed Auckland light rail project in February 2020, Treasury intervened. Read more
In this week’s New Zealand Initiative podcast, Oliver Hartwich and Chelsy Killick interview our Senior Economist Matt Burgess, who has been looking at climate change policy for the last couple of years. The Climate Change Commission is due to release the first emissions budget. Read more
It’s comforting to think that necessity is the mother of invention. By that account, come the time, the inventor will rise, and problems will be solved. Read more
New Zealand’s housing is a national catastrophe. House prices have gone up by 37% nationally since 2015, according to ANZ. Read more
Last week’s CPI figures, showing an annual inflation rate of 1.4% in the December quarter, were accompanied by a warning from the Council of Trade Unions’ economist Craig Renney. He noted that inflation hits the poor harder than other groups. Read more
If land use and housing regulations prevent metropolitan areas from growing up or out as demand for housing increases, there is only one avenue of adjustment left. Prices increase. Read more
On 1 February, the chair of the Climate Change Commission, Dr Rod Carr, will descend the mount with his first emissions budget. He will deliver not commandments but advice, the first draft of a plan for how New Zealand will cut emissions over the next 15 years. Read more
After a tumultuous four years, Joe Biden will this week raise his right hand and swear an oath to uphold the Constitution as the 46th President of the United States. Before then, President Trump will almost certainly use his power as President to issue pardons. Read more
Wellington, 15 January 2021 - The New Zealand Initiative welcomes today’s announcement of quarantine-free travel to New Zealand from the Cook Islands. Initiative Chief Economist Dr Eric Crampton said, “About 80,000 Cook Islanders live in New Zealand. Read more
As the world approaches the end of this annus horribilis, there is a sense of relief. Not just because 2020 will soon be history but also because the economic disaster could have been so much worse. Read more
Last week, the government finally released the Simpson-Roche report detailing the failures that led to August’s Covid outbreak in Auckland. Some of the failures, like inadequate testing regimes for MIQ staff and border workers, were entirely preventable. Read more
They thought banning migrant farm labour would boost wages for native-born farm workers. They were wrong. Read more
Insights 48 / 18 December: Christmas wishes from the Initiative Insights 47 / 11 December: Note From The Executive Director | World-leading Mediocrity |When Cutting Emissions Cuts No Ice | The Abolition Of Scarcity Insights 46/ 4 December: Minimum wages to the max | Grassroots rebellions | The curse of scarce money Insights 45/27 November: Expensive housing | Education Ministry strikes fool’s gold | Military theatre Insights 44 / 20 November: It’s the emissions, stupid! | To graduation and beyond | That’s not how this works Insights 43 / 13 November: Good news weeks | Why house prices are high | What are the turtles standing on? Read more