Stereotypes are long-lasting. Think of Africa and images of poverty, hunger and violence come to mind. Read more
Heritage buildings help make New Zealand’s cities and towns beautiful. While foreign visitors might snicker that an eighty-year-old building has heritage value, the art deco styles in our small towns are jewels. Read more
With regulations in Auckland controlling the minimum size of new apartments and requiring all newly built apartments to have balconies, is it time to move outside to the gardens? When more and more junk food is thrust upon us each day, it has never been so important for tenants and home owners alike to have access to fresh fruit and vegetables. Read more
Wellington’s heritage buildings make the city beautiful, but dangerous. This joint report by Deloitte New Zealand and The New Zealand Initiative looks for ways that Wellington can balance earthquake readiness and sensitivity to the city’s heritage character. Read more
Our Research Fellow, Jason Krupp, discussed with Paul Henry the proposals from across the political spectrum to scrap Auckland's urban boundary in order to take pressure off high land prices. CLICK HERE to watch the video. Read more
Wellington (19 May 2016): Wellington’s historic buildings help make Wellington a wonderful city. But they also pose a deadly threat in case of an earthquake. Read more
Wellington (18 May 2016): The New Zealand Initiative has welcomed calls to scrap Auckland’s urban growth boundary, saying the evidence unambiguously shows that these sorts of policies artificially push the costs of housing up. This comes after Labour Housing Spokesman Phil Twyford today said his party would abolish Auckland’s city limits should it be voted into government. Read more
Interview held during the Portfolio Construction Forum in Auckland. Read more
Imagine if the New Zealand Rugby Union’s collective agreement with players mirrored the agreements negotiated by the teachers’ unions. The pay scale for teachers has all teachers starting on more or less the same salary, and stepping up in small increments over seven years or so to a fixed maximum. Read more
It is bad enough when the government compulsorily acquires your house for a public purpose, like building a road or railway line. Sure, the government will hopefully pay a bit more than the going market rate for the property. Read more
The Overseas Investment Act 2005 is a piece of national legislation doused in controversy. It is complex, time-consuming, and difficult to navigate. Read more
The first rule of journalism is that “dog bites man” is not news. But “man bites dog” is worth a news story, an editorial demanding government do something about it, and an in depth feature exploring the motivations of the biter. Read more
Wellington (12 May 2016): If the Government is committed to the goal of having a smoke-free New Zealand by 2025, a thorough debate about the regulations of e-cigarettes needs to be held, says The New Zealand Initiative. The Health of the State report, released by The New Zealand Initiative in April, looks at public health and lifestyle regulations. Read more
Replace the word London for Auckland and you could be forgiven for thinking that The Economist was writing a lament about housing affordability in New Zealand’s biggest city. In an article titled “Little London”, the magazine notes that soaring property prices are dragging on the city’s economy. Read more