The North Island’s drought is getting rather serious. Read more
When told the French peasants had no bread during a famine, the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, is said to have exclaimed “Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!" – loosely translated as “Let them eat cake!” Read more
Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan deserve praise for fighting Covid-19. Read more
As we all navigate our way through this crisis, we are in uncharted territory. We cannot base our actions on experience because no-one has ever lived through a scenario like this. We do not have enough information about what is going on. Read more
To prepare for the next pandemic, New Zealand has plenty to learn. But only a handful of developed countries might offer some key lessons, since most nations have been hit hard by Covid-19. Read more
Kiwis are very likely heading into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Read more
One of the ideas to boost the economy in a post-Covid world is to reopen the borders for international students. Eric Crampton tells Ryan Bridge on The AM Show that New Zealand’s relatively safe status gives the tertiary sector a real opportunity to become a more desirable destination for international students. He warns that the window is closing fast and that the government must act quickly to meet the July semester deadline. Read more
It was in 1986 when Paul Keating, then Australia’s Treasurer, made a famous remark: “If this Government cannot get the adjustment, get manufacturing going again, and keep moderate wage outcomes and a sensible economic policy, then Australia is basically done for,” Keating warned on the John Laws radio programme. “We will just end up being a third-rate economy, a banana republic.” Read more
National Party leader Todd Muller has said that the party will pledge pushing up the age of eligibility progressively from 65 to 67 starting in 2037. Read more
Since the first cases of the Covid-19 virus emerged in the Chinese province of Wuhan, several East Asian countries including Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan have successfully 'flattened the curve' of infection rates. The three countries used common public policies in the first 50 days since each registered their 100th case. Read more
Wellington 25 May 2020 - To prepare for the next virus pandemic, New Zealand has plenty to learn from the successes of three East Asian states, according to a summary report from The New Zealand Initiative. Read more
This week, opinion polls revealed that the Government is more popular than ever. On current figures, Labour could comfortably govern alone, the Prime Minister’s ratings are stratospheric, and nine in ten New Zealanders approve of the Government’s handling of the public health crisis. Read more
It’s not exactly clear why there is so much nervousness about overseas interests buying something like the Auckland port. It’s not like they can take the port with them. Read more
Last Friday, I was invited to appear before Parliament’s Epidemic Response Committee on Tuesday 19 May. The topic was Budget 2020. Read more
As the country looks for ways to recover from the Covid-19 recession, the government is tweaking a few rules to help it along. Read more