Oliver is the Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative. Before joining the Initiative, he was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, the Chief Economist at the Policy Exchange in London, and an advisor in the UK House of Lords.
Oliver holds a master's degree in economics and business administration and a PhD in Law from Bochum University in Germany.
Oliver is available to comment on all of the Initiative’s research areas.
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
One in eight people worldwide could read Pride and Prejudice when Jane Austen published it in 1813. Today, it is the opposite. Read more
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is channelling Middle Eastern migrants and refugees towards Poland in a bid to destabilise the European Union. People are now camped between the Polish and Belarusian border with nowhere to go. Read more
Another Groundhog Day week in our never-ending Covid crisis. We got an announcement on Monday for another on Wednesday. Read more
In the past year, the 26 members of the European Defence Agency (EDA) have spent €186 billion on their militaries. But what is all that spending worth when even a few thousand refugees camping out in Belarus reveal how fragile and vulnerable Europe’s external borders are? Read more
Senior Fellow Dr David Law discusses his new paper on the Government’s plans to introduce an unemployment insurance scheme. To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
Matt Burgess joins Oliver Hartwich to discuss his latest research note, Climate of fear: How the Reserve Bank is overstepping its mandate. Matt’s research documents serious breaches of the RBNZ's responsibilities as regulator of the financial system, including one instance of misconduct. Read more
As the world is slowly emerging out of Covid-19, the next big crisis may already appear on the horizon. After bold fiscal and monetary packages to cushion the blow of the pandemic, inflation, stagflation and asset market disruption are dangers for the world economy. Read more
It will not just be the last General Council meeting of the European Central Bank for the year when it meets on December 2. It will also be the end of an era. Read more
The Government has announced they will confiscate councils’ three water assets, despite widespread opposition from mayors, councillors, and ratepayers. Ben Craven sits down with Oliver Hartwich, Matt Burgess and Eric Crampton to discuss what the proposals will mean for councils; the winners and losers; and why centralised control of water assets is not the answer to local water issues. Read more
As American lawyer and politician Gideon J. Tucker put it, “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.” Tucker’s law generally holds true, but there are rare exceptions. Read more
Oliver Hartwich joins Ben Craven to discuss his latest Newsroom column on a media funding scandal that has led to the resignation of centre-right Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The investigation has highlighted the dependency of Austrian media on government advertising, and the influence that funding can exert. Read more
In his latest podcast Leighton Smith discusses a wide range of important issues with Oliver Hartwich including the economy and Covid, interest rates, centralism, education and debt.
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This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was an inspired choice. By recognising Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa, two journalists working in adverse conditions in Russia and the Philippines, the Nobel Committee sent a powerful message to support an independent media. Read more
Wellington (Tuesday, 19 October 2021) – Today, the Government took a significant step toward restoring housing affordability. The New Zealand Initiative enthusiastically welcomed the announcement, supported by Labour and National, of a broad upzoning across urban centres where housing is terribly unaffordable. Read more
Last Sunday’s election results in Germany were clear. The Christian Democrats, Angela Merkel’s party, lost heavily. Read more