I was born in West Germany in 1975. Yes, it was still West Germany then. Read more
Peter Smith asks a fair question. In Trump and the Paradox of American Power, I wrote that I had long favoured taking out Iran’s nuclear facilities – but not like this. Read more
Alain Bertaud, former principal urban planner at the World Bank and guest of the New Zealand Initiative, talked to Jack Tame on Q+A about what makes cities function well. Bertaud argued that cities are fundamentally labour markets, and that restrictive zoning laws, not poverty, are the root cause of New Zealand's housing affordability crisis, advocating for both upward density and greenfield development to meet Auckland's projected population growth. Read more
Renowned urbanist Alain Bertaud has spent six decades studying cities: from working as a young draftsman in Chandigarh in 1963 to advising governments worldwide on urban land markets. His book Order Without Design has become a touchstone for New Zealand's housing reforms, cited by ministers on both sides of the aisle. Read more
When a story recently emerged about the government getting advice on carless days under the Petroleum Demand Restraint Act, older New Zealanders will have felt a warm flush of nostalgia. The 1979 restrictions brought coloured windscreen stickers announcing the weekday car owners had promised not to drive. Read more
Recently, during a select committee hearing on an infrastructure funding amendment bill, an MP asked for examples of infrastructure financed without government borrowing. “Sure,” our chief economist Eric Crampton replied. Read more
KiwiSaver has $110 billion in assets and over three million members. Contribution rates rise from April. Read more
Too many of the world’s urban planners grew up playing the city-planning game SimCity. You may have played it too. Read more
In this episode, Oliver Hartwich and Eric Crampton are joined by retired Major General John Howard to assess the Iran conflict three weeks on, covering how it has escalated, what the odds of de-escalation look like, and whether a US ground invasion or ceasefire is realistic. They also explore the wider global picture, from China's posture around Taiwan to Ukraine's worsening position, and what it all means for New Zealand's fuel security, energy resilience, and national preparedness. Read more
When oil prices spiked after the Strait of Hormuz closed, New Zealand’s ministers lined up to reassure the public. Fuel stocks were “healthy.” There was “no need for panic.” The associate energy minister assured New Zealanders that supplies were not under threat “in coming months.” What the ministers did not dwell on is that government agencies are now briefing them daily on supply disruptions extending well beyond petrol. Read more
No fuel was available where I lived on the east side of Christchurch immediately after the 2011 earthquake. Power was out. Read more
Imagine a system in which those who understand it best see a problem developing – slowly, incrementally, case by case – but choose not to say so publicly. Not because they are forbidden to speak. Read more
So far this year, the government’s tobacco excise revenue is $164 million below forecast. If that pace continues, the annual shortfall will reach about $225 million. Read more
Alain Bertaud, former principal urban planner at the World Bank and guest of The New Zealand Initiative, talked to Kathryn Ryan on RNZ's Nine to Noon about what makes cities work. He argued that cities should be understood as large labour markets, and that affordable housing and good transport are essential foundations — warning that without them, everything people value about city life will collapse. Read more
New Zealand’s Planning Bill is supposed to make housing affordable. For the first time, the law would require the planning system to create competitive land markets. Read more