MEDIA

Wellington (Wednesday, 1 October 2025) – Canadian First Nations are helping tackle Canada’s housing crisis through council-like authority over their own land. A new report highlights this proven Canadian turnaround success story and draws lessons for New Zealand. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton talked to Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB about the Reserve Bank's recent self-review, which found the bank was too slow to raise interest rates after COVID-19. He argued the Reserve Bank should have recognised earlier that it was dealing with a supply shock rather than a demand problem, noting that excessive money printing in response to COVID's economic disruption drove inflation to 7.3% and required painful interest rate hikes to bring it back under control. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton talked to Charlotte Cook on RNZ about US President Donald Trump's repeated threat to impose 100% tariffs on foreign films. He explained that such tariffs would be practically impossible to implement on digital services like films, but suggested the threat could provide an opportunity for countries like New Zealand to negotiate an international agreement to scale back film production subsidies. Listen below. Read more

Heather du Plessis-Allan discussed the Reserve Bank's handling of inflation during COVID on Newstalk ZB, highlighting that The New Zealand Initiative first identified that COVID could cause inflation a year and a half before the Reserve Bank began tightening in October 2021. She noted the Initiative also warned in February 2022 that inflation was becoming a problem, while the bank continued its cheap lending programme until December 2022 when inflation had already reached 7.2%. Read more

Roger Partridge talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about his analysis of how New Zealand judges are returning gang patches to offenders despite Parliament's clear intention to ban them through the Gangs Act 2024. He argued that courts are overstepping their constitutional role by using judicial tools like the "principle of legality" and tikanga considerations to sidestep Parliament's democratically expressed will, undermining both the rule of law and democratic legitimacy. Read more

RNZ Business News discussed Dr Oliver Hartwich's comments defending the Reserve Bank on their midday bulletin. He defended the Reserve Bank against scapegoating claims, arguing that the current government's single inflation mandate and expansionary fiscal policies have made monetary policy more challenging. Read more

Roger Partridge talked to Francesca Rudkin on Newstalk ZB about the NZ Herald's Mood of the Boardroom survey, describing business leaders' sentiment as "grim" due to New Zealand's struggling economy and high cost of living. He called for greater bipartisanship on long-term economic issues like retirement savings and infrastructure, while noting that Trump's tariffs have significantly impacted CEO confidence despite the global community underestimating the reality of his trade policies. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich was featured on Newstalk ZB's news segments commenting on Reserve Bank independence. He argued that the government should let the Reserve Bank maintain its independence and focus on addressing inflation without political interference over interest rate decisions. Read more

Wellington (Monday, 22 September 2026) - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has been unfairly scapegoated for the current recession when it was simply doing its job of bringing inflation under control, according to new research from The New Zealand Initiative. The research note, Monetary Policy Without Mates, reveals that while the RBNZ fought to tame inflation that peaked at nearly 8%, the government's fiscal policy worked against these efforts – forcing interest rates to stay higher for longer. Read more

Mike Hosking discussed the Initiative's report "Monetary policy without mates" on Newstalk ZB, agreeing with its argument that the Reserve Bank has been unfairly scapegoated for the current recession when it was simply doing its job of bringing inflation under control. He emphasised that the government's fiscal policy worked against the Reserve Bank's efforts, with Grant Robertson's spending forcing interest rates to stay higher for longer. Read more

Herald NOW mentioned Dr Oliver Hartwich on their news segment about the Reserve Bank governor appointment. He emphasised the importance of maintaining the Reserve Bank's independence and allowing it to focus on addressing inflation without political interference. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich debated Robert MacCulloch on The Platform over claims that the New Zealand Initiative has "captured" the National government and is controlling fiscal policy. Dr Hartwich defended the Initiative, stating they have minimal contact with government ministers and would have pursued different policies if they truly had influence, particularly opposing last year's tax cuts in favour of budget consolidation and deficit reduction. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton told Kerre Woodham on Newstalk ZB that New Zealand’s 0.9% economic contraction reflects the Reserve Bank “going incredibly overboard” in 2020–21 and losing credibility on inflation, making today’s correction unavoidable. He criticised government claims of restraint, noting budgets remain “incredibly stimulatory” with “massive structural deficits,” and argued that if spending had returned to 2019 wellbeing-budget levels, the Bank would have had far more room to cut interest rates. Read more

Wellington (Tuesday, 16 September 2025) – The New Zealand Initiative welcomes the Government’s decision to strengthen the governance of the Commerce Commission, describing it as an important step towards world-class regulatory practice. The Initiative’s 2018 report Who Guards the Guards? Read more

The Local Government Business Forum has today released a report calling for binding referendums on major council spending projects, giving ratepayers a way of saying yes to projects that they support. “Council rates increased an average of 12% last year and are estimated to rise another 9% this year. Read more