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)
Scroll down to read the rest of Oliver's work.
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
It is not just New Zealanders waiting for a new government to be formed following parliamentary elections. Poland also recently held an election – and like New Zealand, a change of government is expected. Read more
We are pleased to announce the release of our groundbreaking report, Irish Secrets - An Irish lesson in prosperity. Written by Dr Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative, and featuring a foreword by Fraser Whineray, head of the delegation to Ireland, this report summarises what New Zealand can learn from Ireland. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich talks to Anna Dean and Ben Thomas on RNZ about the current "eerie silence" in politics after the recent election. Listen here (Oliver's interview starts at the 10:16 mark). Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich was interviewed on The Platform to talk with Michael Laws about the future of New Zealand's political landscape. You can find a snippet of their conversation below. Read more
New Zealand politics is in limbo right now. Special votes are being counted. Read more
New Zealand’s election marked the end of Labour’s six-year Government. However, the final form of the next government remains unclear until the ‘special votes’ are counted. Read more
An apparent pause grips the political scene in the quiet days after New Zealand’s election. The old government remains in caretaker mode. Read more
Join Dr Oliver Hartwich and Dr Matthew Birchall as they continue their conversation from last week. Listen to their reaction to the election results so far, and what they think might happen next. Read more
Hamas’ attacks on Israel have repercussions that extend beyond the Middle East. These events have also magnified the social and political consequences of large-scale migration from Muslim nations to Europe. Read more
On his podcast NZ Everyday Investor, Darcy Ungaro talks to Dr Oliver Hartwich about our report Prescription for Prosperity and our recommendations for the incoming government. To listen to their discussion The Wealth Script We NEED, Ep 378 Oliver Hartwich on Spotify, click here. Read more
With the New Zealand election just a day away, the closeness of the race is astonishing. It is especially so when one considers the social and economic turmoil the country faces. Read more
It's the final week before the election. So, to cap it off, Dr Oliver Hartwich talks to Dr Matthew Birchall about the 2023 NZ general election. Read more
Winston Churchill is often wrongly credited with saying that the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. If a modern-day Churchill sought an argument against democracy, he could easily find one in New Zealand’s election campaigns. Read more
With only a few days left until New Zealand’s general election, you might think the outcome should be easy to predict. Many polls have shown that New Zealanders think the country is on the wrong path. Read more
On his breakfast show on Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking discusses Dr Oliver Hartwich's latest Newsroom column comparing Germany's MMP system to New Zealand's. Listen to the audio below. Read more