Eric is the Chief Economist at The New Zealand Initiative. With the Initiative, he has worked in policy areas ranging from freshwater management to policy for earthquake preparedness, and from local government to technology policy. He has recently focused on policy related to Covid-19 response. He served as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Department of Economics & Finance at the University of Canterbury from 2003 through 2014.
Eric’s columns and commentary appear regularly in New Zealand’s major media outlets, as well as on his blog, Offsetting Behaviour. He can also be found on Twitter at @ericcrampton.
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
They say you can’t beat Wellington on a good day but in one important respect, “they” are wrong. Christchurch will have Wellington beat, hands-down, unless Christchurch City Council manages to screw this up. Read more
Every three years, Inland Revenue undertakes a long-term insights briefing on the tax system. This year’s could spark a shift away from tedious and fruitless discussions of Capital Gains Taxes. Read more
Policies and regulations, most of the time, are a bit of a mess. Even if policies made sense when first conceived, sludge accumulates over time. Read more
1.1 This submission in response to the Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC) Inquiry into Banking Competition (the Inquiry)1 is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. In combination, our members employ more than 150,000 people. Read more
Good news! As of 11 September, it has been legal to advertise Jynneos, the monkeypox vaccine, to communities at risk for monkeypox. Read more
Government sometimes cannot stop itself from providing bailouts when risk-taking goes wrong. This kind of ‘free’ insurance policy leads to no end of bad outcomes. Read more
1.1 This submission on the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is made by The New Zealand Initiative, a think tank supported primarily by chief executives of major New Zealand businesses. The Initiative undertakes research to contribute to the development of sound public policies in New Zealand to help create a competitive, open and dynamic economy and a free, prosperous, fair, and cohesive society. Read more
In this episode, Eric and Ben Hamlin, Barrister at Clifton Chambers, explore how government policies and regulations can unintentionally stifle competition in New Zealand, affecting everything from healthcare to supermarkets. They discuss the challenges posed by current laws, particularly the 'Crown exception' in competition law, and propose reforms aimed at creating a more competitive economy, including regular reviews of competition restrictions and greater justification for government-imposed market limitations. Read more
On August 15, we hosted our second The Health Innovators’ Summit. This was a day event that brought together politicians, members of The New Zealand Initiative, professional health associations, and senior journalists to learn about innovative solutions for better healthcare in New Zealand. Read more
Sometimes bad policy is good politics. At least over relevant political time horizons. Read more
There are a couple of ways to solve a problem like the Court of Appeal’s ruling that four Uber drivers are employees rather than contractors. Either of them would work. Read more
In this episode, Oliver, Michael and Eric discuss the recent elections in two eastern German states, Thuringia and Saxony, where far-right and populist parties like the AfD and BSW gained significant ground, while traditional mainstream parties performed poorly. They explore the reasons behind this political shift, including frustrations with immigration policies, economic challenges, and nostalgia for the former East Germany, while also examining the broader implications for German politics and drawing lessons for other democracies about the dangers of ignoring citizens' legitimate concerns. Read more
1.1 This submission in response to the Commerce Commission’s Consultation Paper Retail Payment System: Costs to businesses and consumers of card payments in Aotearoa New Zealand1 is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. In combination, our members employ more than 150,000 people. Read more
Classic-era Simpsons episodes may not have had the solutions to all of life’s problems, but they did get a few things right. Be sceptical of monorail salesmen. Read more
A Bargain Chemist in Upper Hutt has been unable to dispense prescriptions since it opened in 2022. Its website simply notes “Prescriptions not currently available”. Read more