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
Meet the new public health. Same as the old public health. Read more
Tune into this riveting podcast for a deep-dive into the world of urban planning and infrastructure development in New Zealand! Chief economist Eric Crampton is joined by the Infrastructure Commission’s Nadine Dodge and Peter Nunns to grapple with the complex yet fascinating concept of corridor protection and how foresight is essential to avoid future urban development headaches. Read more
Federated Farmers and Beef & Lamb New Zealand have stepped-up their campaigns against carbon forestry. Federated Farmers objected to a Dutch company’s purchase of two sheep and beef farms for tree-planting, arguing it would mean fewer jobs and people in rural towns. Read more
Auckland Council’s draft Future Development Strategy all but guarantees that Auckland housing will never be affordable. Those keen on affordable housing ought to pay attention to it. Read more
In this thought-provoking episode, the Initiative’s economists – Dr Oliver Hartwich, Dr Eric Crampton, Dr Tony Burton, and Dr Bryce Wilkinson – dive into the debate over whether Australia is a better option for skilled talent. They discuss the current challenges faced by New Zealand in terms of health, education, and infrastructure, and how the nation's performance is deteriorating relative to Australia. Read more
In 1983’s classic film War Games, computer-whiz Matthew Broderick hacked into Pentagon supercomputer WOPR - almost starting World War 3. WOPR had been programmed for war gaming. Read more
Everyone who contributes to traffic congestion already pays for it in about the worst way possible: through their time, and through excess wear and tear on – and emissions from – vehicles idling in stop-and-go traffic. Shifting to congestion charging would help ensure freer-flowing traffic. Read more
Australian cities just became a lot more attractive for younger Kiwis. New Zealand’s housing will have to become a lot more affordable, in a hurry, to avoid losing them. Read more
In this podcast episode, the Initiative’s chief economist Eric Crampton is joined by OliverShaw Principal, Robin Oliver, to discuss new independent research which shows that high-wealth individuals pay more tax on average and represent a higher proportion of the total tax take than may previously have been thought. It has been strongly suggested that, in practice, New Zealand’s income tax regime is not as fair as statutory tax rates would suggest. Read more
I don’t know the right number of local water service entities. Neither do you. Read more
Falling carbon prices have the Finance Minister seeking advice on the Emissions Trading Scheme. The ETS can and should be bulletproof. Read more
Anyone who has read Douglas Adams's excellent Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy knows about the Vogon race of Vogsphere – the galaxy’s natural bureaucrats. They’re officious and callous. Read more
Kiwis on the minimum wage will have an extra $1.50 an hour in the pocket from tomorrow. The increase, which comes in from April 1st, brings the wage to $22.70 an hour. Read more
Public servants jumping roles may have melted the Government's pay freeze. The policy that was introduced for high-paid public servants during the Covid-19 pandemic has now ended. Read more