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
Sometimes the biggest obstacle to reform is neither a lack of money nor a lack of problem awareness. It may simply be a dearth of imagination. Read more
Unless you are closely following New Zealand monetary policy, you might have missed a BusinessDesk story last week. The newspaper revealed an astonishing correspondence between Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler and BNZ’s chief executive Anthony Healy. Read more
When the UK voted to leave the European Union in last year’s referendum, it was widely interpreted as a victory of the political right. That was not incorrect. Read more
What will Britain look like after Brexit? This is the dominant question in British politics right now. Read more
The September election is still a few months away but politicians, pollsters and pundits are already speculating on the outcome. Of course, forecasts are difficult, particularly about the future. Read more
It is a distraction that National could do without this election year. Instead of battling the opposition, they are facing Eminem’s lawyers in the High Court. Read more
Executive Director Dr Oliver Hartwich spoke to Sydney's ABC TV on the Kiwi economy - and how it is facing many of the same headwinds as Australia. He discusses migration, housing and trade. Read more
Among transport engineers, the consensus is roundabouts are preferable to crossroads. They reduce crash risks, improve traffic flow and are less expensive to maintain than traffic lights. Read more
There are election campaigns, there are weird election campaigns, and there are New Zealand election campaigns. I arrived in this beautiful country five years ago, having previously lived in Germany, the UK and Australia. Read more
Manifesto 20217: What the next New Zealand government should do, spells out what The New Zealand Initiative expects the next government to tackle after the 2017 General Election. It is immaterial to us which parties form the government. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative's Executive Director Dr Oliver Hartwich discusses Manifesto 2017, the housing crisis and education on The AM Show.
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A few years ago, British schools got worried about their bad students. Not so much about the fact they were not learning enough. Read more
Before she became British Prime Minister, Theresa May announced that “Brexit means Brexit.” Ever since, we have been wondering what she meant. It is now nine months after the Brexit referendum. Read more
Our Executive Director, Dr Oliver Hartwich, joins 1News to discuss John Key's legacy, and areas of public policy that still need improvement. Read more
If you are familiar with British popular history, you may recall this incident from the winter of 1991. A severe weather system had crippled British Rail’s services, despite the company’s claimed best preparations for snow and ice. Read more