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
Unless you closely follow German politics, the name Karl Josef Laumann would mean nothing. And even if you are vaguely familiar with German federal politics, you also will not know much about the Health Minister in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW). Read more
Should a convicted fraudster be allowed to work as an insolvency practitioner? If your spontaneous answer is “no way!”, then you agree with the board of RITANZ, the professional body for insolvency practitioners. Read more
The Prime Minister has declared this year’s election, now postponed until October, a “Covid election.” That is an unfortunate framing. Though dealing with Covid is crucial for the country’s short- to mid-term future, there are plenty of other attention-deserving issues like education, housing and transport. Read more
At the end of this week, New Zealand is back in a situation we hoped to have left behind. With Auckland in lockdown and the country on alert, Covid-19 is back. Read more
Turkey is not the country you might expect to read about in a series of columns called “Spotlight on Europe.” Of course, you could make a geographical argument. A small part of Turkey, East Thrace, is European. Read more
There must be a German word for it: That feeling when you are enjoying something that is just not quite right. Not a guilty pleasure, more an incorrect one. Read more
Last week the EU’s leaders not only signed the organisation’s budget of just over a trillion euros for the next seven years. They also established a €750 billion post-pandemic recovery fund. Read more
New Zealand is envied for its zero community cases of Covid-19, but the economy is hurting and the current hard border closure is controversial. Oliver Hartwich talks to Phillip Adams on ABC Radio National about how successful New Zealand really is. Read more
Mike Hosking explains on Newstalk ZB why it is so important to read Oliver Hartwich's latest NZ Herald article "A return to normal? Forget about it."
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Covid-19 is not just a medical and economic crisis. It is a historical watershed moment with massive effects for entire generations. Read more
With the appointment of Judith Collins as leader of the National Party, folk across the political spectrum hope the party is beginning to re-emerge as a genuine counterpoint to the current Labour-led government. New Zealand Initiative director Oliver Hartwich explains why Collins may be what National needs and why the political position of conservatism is so difficult to get excited about in a globalised world. Read more
Perhaps the election of Judith Collins to the National leadership does not change her party’s immediate electoral prospects. National is still fighting an uphill battle to unseat an extremely popular Prime Minister. Read more
Oliver Hartwich talks to Leighton Smith on Newstalk ZB about a wide range of topics including why this election matters greatly, the most important matters to keep in mind when we vote, monetary stability, goals and inflation measuring.
The New Zealand Initiative · Oliver Hartwich talks to Leighton Smith about a wide range of topics affecting New Zealand Read more
It could have all been so nice. At their meeting last Thursday, Eurogroup finance ministers should have elected Spain’s economy minister Nadia Calviño the group’s new head. Read more
The ACT party has announced its new employment insurance policy that allows a taxpayer to claim 55% of their average weekly earnings if they lost their job. Oliver Hartwich talks to Kerre McIvor on Newstalk ZB about this scheme. Read more