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.
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
You and your friends are having regular games nights. Every week, you meet to play Monopoly. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich from the New Zealand Initiative chats with Sean Plunket about the state of our education system. Read more
A new report from the Education Review Office says attendance in schools is worse here than other countries. New Zealand Institute executive director of the Oliver Hartwich says this shouldn't come as a surprise, with achievment among students also dropping year-on-year. Read more
Wellington (Wednesday, 9 November 2022) – There are no silver bullets for ending the regulatory mess that makes housing hard to build, but there may be silver buckshot. A Member’s Bill from ACT’s Brooke van Velden proposes sharing half of the GST on new housing with councils where new housing is built. Read more
NZ Initiative Executive Director Oliver Hartwich recently wrote an opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald describing the current education system as a 'disaster'. The piece called for better educational training and more defined career structure for teachers in order to improve our nation's educational rankings in reading and mathematics. Read more
Some crises occur suddenly. Natural disasters, wars and pandemics can break out almost overnight. Read more
Rachely Smalley interviews Dr Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of the NZ Initiative about Adrian Orr's reappointment as Reserve Bank Governor for another five year term.
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Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It is often only after time passes that one realises what one should have done differently. Read more
Josie Pagani interviews Oliver Hartwich about the state of the nation in this week's Initiative podcast. To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
Last week, I wrote about why New Zealand’s cities are shrinking – and why that is a cause of concern. Cities have always been engines of prosperity. Read more
“Harder years, tough years are coming,” Frank-Walter Steinmeier told his country on Friday. At least with this warning, Germany’s Federal President was being honest. Read more
One of the megatrends of the past decades has been urbanisation. Globally, city dwellers have surpassed rural dwellers since 2007. Read more
This week marks five years since Jacinda Ardern became New Zealand’s 40th prime minister. In modern British political terms, such a period might now be referred to as an era. Read more