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
Between a policy idea and its political take-up, many years can pass. But that makes it even more satisfying when it eventually happens. Read more
My first job after my law doctorate was as an assistant to a Liberal Democrats peer in the UK House of Lords. It was a helpful lesson on the difference between the theory and practice of law-making. Read more
If you want to get an idea of the European Union’s ability to make good decisions and implement them swiftly, you could look at its Covid vaccination rollout. But if that is too depressing, you could also consider the farce around Europe’s Daylight Savings Time. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich and Dr David Law discuss the details of the government's new housing package and what it will mean for the housing market, house prices and first home buyers. They also discuss the consequences for the rental market and the pitfalls of rent controls. Read more
It is hard to know where to begin, there is so much wrong with the Government’s housing package presented on Tuesday. I leave it to my colleague David Law to explain why the measures introduced will hurt housing affordability and supply. Read more
Oliver Hartwich, Eric Crampton, Bryce Wilkinson and David Law discuss the Government's new housing package.
The New Zealand Initiative · The Government's Housing Package Read more
Matt Burgess and Oliver Hartwich sit down to discuss Oliver's recent Newsroom column on what we can learn from the European ETS experience, and how it relates to some of the finer points in the Climate Change Commission's draft emissions report.
The New Zealand Initiative · Matt Burgess and Oliver Hartwich discuss emissions policy Read more
As New Zealand discusses the recommendations of the Climate Change Commission, I get a sense of déjà vu. We are now talking about industry-specific regulations, bans on certain technologies (such as petrol and diesel cars) and subsidies for others (such as electric vehicles). Read more
Filings to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rarely have entertainment value. That is unless Elon Musk is involved. Read more
Once upon a time, Arthur Miller said, “A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.” These days, many media outlets are talking only to segments of the population. For the New Zealand media, 2021 has been a year of cancellations. Read more
As a commentator on European affairs, there is no question I have heard more often in recent months than who will replace Angela Merkel. Two years ago, Germany’s long-serving Chancellor announced she would not be running for a fifth term in the 2021 election. Read more
In this week's Initiative podcast, Executive Director Oliver Hartwich and Operations Director Chelsy Killick discuss who will succeed Angela Merkel as the next German Chancellor? He says Merkel won't be running for another term, but that is about the only certainty in this year's election. Read more
On Tuesday, the Climate Change Commission extended the deadline for submissions on its draft recommendations by two weeks. The short extension would give the extra bit of time needed to receive crucial information from the Commission before submissions close. Read more
“Demography is destiny”, as French sociologist Auguste Comte once put it. Few developments shape our society more than the composition, the age and size of our population. Read more
A couple of weeks ago, in this place, I wrote about my humbling experience playing the new politics simulation Democracy 4. Running a country successfully and getting re-elected were near impossible tasks, I concluded. Read more