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 the 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
As the year comes to a close, it is natural to reflect on both the good and the bad of the past twelve months. This year has been tough, with wars, inflation, and the fallout from the pandemic. Read more
The first principle of medicine is “do no harm”. It should be the first principle of economic policy too, especially heading into an election year. Read more
Mike Hosking discusses Oliver Hartwich's The Australian column about the transparency, honesty, and openness of New Zealand's government. Read more
Jacinda Ardern is under fire for refusing to be held accountable on multiple controversies. Recent polling has showed a significant drop in support for New Zealand’s left-wing Prime Minister. Read more
In 2017, when Jacinda Ardern became New Zealand’s Prime Minister, she set out to transform policy-making. Her administration was meant to be the most open, honest, and transparent in history. Read more
At the risk of losing a few readers in this first paragraph, let’s start with a quote by a lawyer. To make it worse: by a German judge. Read more
Oliver Hartwich joins Matthew Hooton and Damien Grant on The Working Groups Weekly Political Podcast hosted by Martyn Bradbury.
They discuss a range of issues including:
Issue 1 – New Zealand's manufactured recession
Issue 2 – The tough on crime rhetoric
Issue 3 – Three Waters entrenchment
Issue 4 – National to leave top tax rate
Read more
There are years in which little happens. Then there are years in which everything seems to happen at once. 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
Is it enough to have good intentions? Or is it better to focus on the outcomes of one’s actions? Read more
There was a time, not so long ago, when countries in the common law tradition had comparable legal systems. Yes, there had always been differences between, say, the law of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Still, their basic approaches to legal matters were similar. Read more
New Zealand's immigration system is cracking under pressure. A lack of staff, a shambolic IT system, and new government policies that bamboozle applicants are creating unnecessary stress for migrants, and long delays around simple work visa applications that once made their way through the system with ease are causing issues for employers. Read more
You and your friends are having regular games nights. Every week, you meet to play Monopoly. Read more
Oliver Hartwich chats with Christoph Schumacher about the Official Cash Rate, inflation, the Taylor Rule, and the new GDP Live tool that provides real-time New Zealand GDP tracking. To help fund the incredible GDP Live tracker contact Christoph at c.schumacher@massey.ac.nz. 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