The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) just released its Annual Report for 2024, providing an opportunity to examine how the central bank views its own performance. The Governor’s statement is revealing, praising a “Great team, best central bank” while ignoring the serious macroeconomic mismanagement by the current leadership. Read more

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has just issued his government’s plan for the final quarter of 2024. If that sounds more like a corporate earnings call than political leadership, you would not be far off the mark. Read more

For decades after World War II, Austria was a model of political stability to the point of boredom. The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) dominated the political landscape. Read more

There should be a German word for it: that moment when one realises a dessert one has always associated with one country actually belongs to several countries – or perhaps, to none at all. As a German who has lived in both Australia and New Zealand, I have often found myself caught in the crossfire of the great Pavlova debate. Read more

When law students first learn contract law, they learn that entering into a contract can happen in all sorts of ways. Only in the rarest of cases is a contract signed by both parties. Read more

It was an ambitious plan to make the European Union the world’s most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy within a decade. It aimed to boost innovation, productivity and economic growth across the bloc. Read more

Look at the cover of our new report Demystifying the State. What do you see? Read more

The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) has released its annual threat assessment, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s national security posture. This year’s report signals a dramatic shift from the approach of recent years, not just in its content but also in its unprecedented candour. Read more

Last week, an Uber driver surprised me in a conversation about the recent Court of Appeal decision classifying four Uber drivers as employees rather than contractors. My driver was blunt. Read more

No longer content with only overseeing human enterprises, the Commerce Commission has set its eyes on perfecting New Zealand’s flora and fauna. “We have found unfair advantages in New Zealand’s ecosystems,” said a Commission spokesperson. Read more

On Sunday, Germany experienced a political earthquake. For the first time since 1933, a far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), became the largest party in a state election. Read more