Final Eric Crampton

Dr Eric Crampton

Chief Economist

Eric Crampton is Chief Economist with the New Zealand Initiative. 

He applies an economist’s lens to a broad range of policy areas, from devolution and housing policy to student loans and environmental policy. He served on Minister Twyford’s Urban Land Markets Research Group and on Minister Bishop’s Housing Economic Advisory Group.  
Most recently, he has been looking at devolution to First Nations in Canada. 

He is a regular columnist with Stuff and with Newsroom; his economic and policy commentary appears across most media outlets. He can also be found on Twitter at @ericcrampton 

Phone: +64 4 499 0790

Email: eric.crampton@nzinitiative.org.nz

Recent Work

Podcast: How local planning rules block retail competition

In this episode, Eric talks to Marko Garlick about how New Zealand's local government planning and zoning regulations create anti-competitive conditions in the retail sector, particularly for supermarkets. They explore specific examples of bizarre regulatory barriers to market entry and discuss potential solutions to enable more competition, such as national policy statements and amendments to the Commerce Act. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Marko Garlick
27 February, 2025
2025 02 25 newsroom

Let the Natural Hazards Commission charge risktakers higher premiums

Treasury is consulting on changes to the Natural Hazards Insurance Levy – formerly known as the EQC levy. The Herald’s Jenée Tibshraeny reports that Treasury is considering increasing the Natural Hazards Commission’s cap from $345,000 to $460,000 while increasing the levy by up to $400 per year to make up the difference. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Newsroom
25 February, 2025
Submission 14 02 2025

Submission: Promoting competition in New Zealand – A targeted review of the Commerce Act 1986

1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 This submission on the discussion document Promoting competition in New Zealand – A targeted review of the Commerce Act 1986 is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses, and the International Center for Law & Economics [ICLE]. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Lazar Radic
14 February, 2025
Submission ICE 14 02 2025

Submission: Australian Government’s Consultation on the Proposed New Digital Competition Regime

I. Introduction We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Australian Government’s (“Government”) consultation on the implementation of a new digital competition regime.1 As we outline in our comments, the Government’s proposal rests on the assumption that there exists a broad global consensus on the need for ex-ante rules for digital platforms. This purported consensus is, however, largely overstated. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Dr Eric Crampton
Geoffrey A. Manne, Dirk Auer, R. Ian McEwin and Lazar Radic
14 February, 2025
2025 02 11 Submission with outline

Submission: Resource Management (Consents and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill

1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 This submission on the Resource Management (Consents and Other Systems Changes) Amendment Bill is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
10 February, 2025

Podcast: The steady growth of NZ regulation

In this episode, Eric talks to Derek Gill, an adjunct scholar at Victoria University, about new research conducted with colleagues that tracks the growth of New Zealand's regulatory state from 1908 to 2024, revealing a steady increase in regulation averaging 2.4% annual growth since 2008, regardless of which political party was in power. The research challenges the common narrative about deregulation in the 1980s and shows that New Zealand's regulatory growth mirrors international trends, though more work is needed to fully understand secondary legislation and sector-specific patterns. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Derek Gill
5 February, 2025

Podcast: Responding to Salmond: Democracy, Classical Liberalism, and the Regulatory Standards Bill

In this episode, James, Eric and Oliver critique Dame Anne Salmond's Newsroom article that characterises the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill as part of a broader neoliberal agenda to undermine democracy in New Zealand. They challenge both Salmond's immediate criticisms of the bill (which they argue misrepresents its regulatory quality focus) and her broader historical argument linking classical liberal organisations like the Mont Pelerin Society to anti-democratic movements, arguing instead that classical liberalism has historically stood against totalitarianism and for democratic values. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Dr Eric Crampton
Dr James Kierstead
28 January, 2025

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