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Voltaire wrote that one great use of words is to hide our thoughts. I remembered this when Grant Robertson said the tax working group would improve “fairness” in the tax system. Read more
Voltaire's satirical 1759 novella, Candide, contrasted ‘head-in-the-clouds’ complacency about this being the best of all possible worlds, despite its blemishes, with ‘feet-on-the-ground’ realism. Viewed loftily, New Zealand’s regulations look blissfully benign. Read more
Careful economics and careful carpentry have one thing in common. Building things level is not easy when the floor is a bit crooked. Read more
Research Fellow Sam Warburton joins Guyon Espiner on Morning Report to discuss the dramatic increase in staff earning over $100,000 at the NZTA. In the 2015/16 financial year the number of people at NZTA earning more that figure increased from 418 to 555 people. Read more
Six-figure salaries at the New Zealand Transport Agency have increased by a third. Our Research Fellow, Sam Warburton, talks to John Campbell about why there needs to be greater transparency about these decisions. Read more
In the new cabinet, Phil Twyford stands out as the minister with the most challenging mandate. Combining housing and transport in one person has created a superminister in charge of all aspects of urban development. Read more
Signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the new government passed its first test on the international stage. If only all policy issues could be solved by just adding the words ‘comprehensive and progressive’ to their names. Read more
I’ve been encouraged by several signals from the new Government around transport. Ministers appear to have given transport much thought in opposition and are, in many ways, ahead of their agencies. Read more
Wellington (10 November 2017): “The TPP APEC talks in Vietnam today are reportedly 'down to the wire.' Yet while the TPP commentary focuses on trade, we should also learn about foreign direct investment from APEC host Vietnam,” says The New Zealand Initiative’s Senior Fellow Dr Bryce Wilkinson. “In 1997, Vietnam had the most restrictive FDI regime of all 45 countries measured by the OECD. Read more
Wellington (7 November 2017): As Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Trade Minister David Parker head for the APEC meeting and the East Asia Summit, The New Zealand Initiative welcomes the Government’s commitment to free trade agreements. But the think tank warns that New Zealand will likely fall further behind as a destination for foreign investment (FDI) if the Government pursues its policy intentions. Read more