Kiwis desperate for a clear path forward on border restrictions last Friday had their hopes dashed. Those living in Auckland are no closer to knowing whether they will be allowed out of New Zealand's largest city for the Christmas break. Read more
The government’s Budgets in 2020 and 2021 arguably breached the Public Finance Act 1989. This is a serious concern. Read more
Last week, the government unveiled the first draft of its plan for how this country will lower emissions over the coming decades. The Emissions Reduction Plan lacks specifics but signals intent. Read more
Those of us whose families are far away across wide oceans found a bit of hope this week. Entering New Zealand will really be rather simple. 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.
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
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
In 1996, Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash highlighted the political importance of speed in the 1980s reform agenda. Drawing on an earlier speech by Sir Roger Douglas, he noted that “opponents’ fire is much less accurate if they have to shoot at a rapidly moving target.” Policy over the past two years have moved at similar pace, but rather less coherently, and in the middle of a global pandemic that also requires at least some minor attention from the ministries. Read more
School can be a difficult place for the approximately one-in-ten children affected by dyslexia. The inability to read the teacher's instructions or questions on tests. Read more
Public relations is poorly understood. Much of that is due to the dramas and sitcoms detailing wild story arcs of spin doctors, the dark arts, and political influence. Read more
Each year, the government gives away millions of emissions units to trade-exposed businesses under its Industrial Allocations (“IAs”) policy. The policy is narrow but deep. Read more
Dr Bryce Wilkinson and Emeritus Professor Gary Hawke join Ben Craven to discuss Bryce’s latest report, The Illusions of History: How misunderstanding the past jeopardises our future. The trio look at some of the prevailing myths of New Zealand’s economic history, and explain the risks of basing contemporary public policy on inaccurate stories of our past. Read more
If Auckland takes the full eight weeks to work its way through the Government’s “three-step plan” for Alert Level 3, 1.6 million Kiwis will have endured one of the world’s most stringent lockdowns for more than half a year. Seven-and-a-half weeks at Levels 3 and 4 in March and April last year. Read more