Oliver is the Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative. Before joining the Initiative, he was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, the Chief Economist at Policy Exchange in London, and an advisor in the UK House of Lords. Oliver holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Business administration and a PhD in Law from Bochum University in Germany.
Oliver is available to comment on all of the Initiative’s research areas.
Submission: A New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme (2022)
Policy Essay: Effective and affordable – Why the ETS is sufficient to deal with the climate emergency (2020)
Research Note: The Unreserved Bank of New Zealand: Why unorthodox monetary policy needs boundaries (2019)
#localismNZ: Bringing power to the people (2019)
Submission: Future of Tax (2018)
Submission: Overseas Investment Amendment Bill (2018)
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Phone: +64 4 499 0790
Dr Oliver Hartwich spoke to Sean Plunket on The Platform to react to National's policy programme. You can find a snippet of their conversation below. Read more
Lord Hannan, a sitting member of the House of Lords and an adviser to the UK Board of Trade, talks to Oliver on this week's episode. They discuss Lord Hannan's background, his role in the Brexit campaign and his point of view on the UK's progress since its withdrawal from the EU. Read more
Writing about European affairs for a New Zealand audience may seem, at first glance, a bit of a strange pastime. What happens in European domestic politics rarely seems to matter down here. Read more
The outcome of New Zealand’s recent coalition negotiations marks only the beginning of the next three years of government. But the principles and policies outlined in the agreements suggest the country now has a reformist administration ready to rebuild the economy, refine regulations, and expand choice in social services. Read more
Everyone has a story: where they come from, what they believe in, what they strive for. Such self-mythologies can have powerful effects when they are based on positive values. Read more
We reserved this space in today’s newsletter to congratulate the new Government on taking office. If we have to wait another week or two, then so be it. Read more
Last week, I spoke on a panel at Microsoft’s GovTech Futures conference in Wellington. The event brought together IT professionals and public servants. Read more
Turkish Presidential visits to Germany to Germany are seldom easy affairs. This has been especially so during the tenure of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Read more
Over a month has passed since the conflict between Hamas and Israel escalated dramatically. The death toll of the 7 October massacre exceeds 1,400, marking this as the most severe episode of violence affecting Jewish people since the Holocaust. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich is interviewed on the RNZ podcast The Detail, about the MMP system in Germany. Listen below. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich talks to Ran Yaakoby, the Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand, about the conflict in the Middle East. In this discussion, they talk about the attack on October 7, the ongoing conflict, the role of the media in all of this and the rise of antisemitism in Europe. Read more
New Zealand will soon have a new government following the final 2023 election results. It will comprise three parties: National, ACT, and New Zealand First. Read more
This week we have a special guest, Lord Jonathan Sumption, in this combined Free Kiwis and The New Zealand Initiative podcast episode. Lord Sumption talks to us about his advocacy on free speech and is in NZ as a guest of the Free Speech Union. Read more
New Zealand is waiting – for better weather, the next Rugby World Cup, and the formation of our new Government. Not necessarily in that order, but with similar anticipation. Read more
Join us in our exciting discussion with former NZ Prime Minister Sir Bill English, as he talks to Dr Oliver Hartwich about the state of NZ politics and how politics has changed. They also chat about the recent voice referendum in Australia, ImpactLab, and NZ's future. Read more