Ask anyone in Australia’s competition law community what transformed the economy, and you will hear a familiar story. Australia was once a cartelised, complacent place where businesses divided up markets and consumers paid the price. Read more
The furore over immigration settings in the trade deal with India provides an excellent reminder about a basic policy principle. You’ll have a hard time getting a policy right if you’ve misdiagnosed the problem. Read more
In this episode, Michael Johnston speaks with Kaaryn Cater of MindWise Connection about sensitivity – a temperamental trait that makes some people more affected by their environment. They explore why open-plan classrooms can overwhelm highly sensitive children, how social cues and sensory stimuli shape learning, and practical strategies teachers and workplaces can use to reduce overload and better support highly sensitive people. Read more
The coalition agreements that formed the government promised an important change to the Commerce Act. The Commerce Commission has always been able to take on traditional cartel arrangements: secret agreements where businesses divvy up a market, restrict output, and raise prices. Read more
The Planning Bill 2025, introduced to Parliament on 9 December 2025, represents the most significant reform of New Zealand’s resource management framework since the Resource Management Act 1991. Among its stated objectives is the enablement of “competitive urban land markets”, which signals a conceptual shift in how the planning system conceives of its relationship to housing supply and affordability. Read more
I have spent more than two decades involved in education research and policy, focusing on New Zealand’s school system. Yet even I struggle to understand my primary-aged daughters’ school reports. Read more
The Resource Management Act 1991 was an act of economic self-sabotage. Over three decades it inflated house prices by imposing what economists call a regulatory tax: the share of prices created by planning restrictions alone. Read more
Samuel Colt invented the revolver and a slogan to go with it. “God created men, Col. Read more
PART 1 – HIGH-LEVEL VIEWS ON THE OVERALL REFORM PACKAGE 1. Introduction and support for reform intent 1.1 The New Zealand Initiative welcomes the opportunity to submit on the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill. Read more
New Zealanders once took pride in being a resilient “do-it-yourself” (DIY) people. Working city fathers, like mine, would spend much of their weekends working on their houses, gardens, fruit trees or sheds. Read more
1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 This submission on the Commerce (Promoting Competition and Other Matters) Amendment Billis made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. Read more
Hungary is a landlocked nation of ten million people with an economy smaller than New Zealand’s. It has no significant military, no permanent seat on the Security Council and no history of shaping international affairs. Read more
In this episode, Michael talks to demographer Marion Burkimsher about New Zealand's falling fertility rate and looming population decline. They explore whether immigration can fill the gap as birth rates drop, the psychological implications of ageing societies and what might actually help young people form families - from affordable housing to healthier relationships and realistic expectations about parenthood. Read more
Turn on the news and you will hear endless references to the Crown: “Crown obligations,” “Crown land,” “Crown Treaty settlements.” Politicians make decisions “on behalf of the Crown.” Courts issue rulings about what “the Crown” must do. Yet ask Kiwis what this “Crown” actually is, and many will give blank stares. Read more
In this episode, Eric talks to Oliver Hartwich about New Zealand's negotiations with the United States over rare earth minerals, following a 180-day ultimatum from America requiring allied nations to sign mineral access deals or face tariffs. They discuss the complications revealed in Australia's similar agreement, the implications for New Zealand's mining regulations and international relationships, and how this pressure from the US represents a fundamental shift away from the traditional rules-based international order. Read more