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
The excitement around the new Labour-NZ First-Green Government and National’s leadership change makes it easy to forget there is a fifth party in Parliament, too. But at last we learnt earlier this week how ACT wants to revive its fortunes. Read more
The Government's flagship policy to deliver low-cost homes to first time buyers could be a fail on the affordability front, according to its own ministry officials. Documents released under the Official Information Act reveal KiwiBuild apartments and houses to be priced up to $600,000 in Auckland could still be well out of reach of their target market. Read more
For cynics, it would be easy to denounce the government’s provincial growth programme as a slush fund. However, I am not cynical about the government’s intentions. Read more
Almost a century ago, the great sociologist Max Weber defined the ideal politician in his lecture Politics as a Vocation. As Bill English just announced his retirement from politics, we may well measure his record by Weberian standards. Read more
Read The New Zealand Initiative's submission to the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill. Read more
The Global Financial Crisis now seems such a distant memory, it is easy to think of it as an historical episode. But this week’s stock market troubles are a timely reminder that the world economy is not in a healthy state. Read more
The north London suburb of Wembley may be the home of English football. But until a few years ago, that was probably its only claim to fame. Read more
Watching the first weeks of the new Parliament, it is difficult not to get confused. On the one hand, we see a government that stumbles its way through the parliamentary machinery. Read more
As the days are becoming longer, the sun is getting stronger and this summer’s first water restrictions are kicking in, Christmas cannot be far away. And since this is the final edition of Insights for the year, I want to thank you, our readers, for coming along this year’s journey with us. Read more
In the new cabinet, Phil Twyford stands out as the minister with the most challenging mandate. Combining housing and transport in one person has created a superminister in charge of all aspects of urban development. Read more
Signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the new government passed its first test on the international stage. If only all policy issues could be solved by just adding the words ‘comprehensive and progressive’ to their names. Read more
As House of Cards is ending in sad circumstances, the TV series has a real-life successor. It is the New Zealand House of Representatives. Read more
To put it mildly, the three parties forming the new government are diverse. Their philosophies do not always overlap. Read more
When New Zealanders look at Switzerland, they see a country that may superficially remind them of their own. Mountains, lakes and stunning scenery are features of both New Zealand and Switzerland. Read more
The new Labour/NZ First government should be looking to Switzerland for inspiration when it comes to implementing some of its key policies, for example its unique local governance system. Oliver Hartwich explains why. Read more