MEDIA

Wellington (Monday, 2 March 2026) - New Zealand could unlock more than $24 billion for essential infrastructure by recycling mature Crown-owned commercial assets, according to a new report by The New Zealand Initiative. Renovating the Nation: How Asset Recycling Can Help Solve the Infrastructure Deficit, by the Initiative chair Roger Partridge, argues the government should redirect capital tied up in commercial enterprises into hospitals, schools, roads and water systems — without raising taxes or increasing public debt. Read more

This webinar launches Renovating the Nation: How Asset Recycling Can Help Solve the Infrastructure Deficit, a report by Roger Partridge arguing New Zealand can fund new infrastructure by recycling Crown-owned commercial assets the government does not need to own. Hosted by Dr Oliver Hartwich and featuring Fran O’Sullivan and Fraser Whineray (former CEO of Mercury), the discussion unpacks the New South Wales model and why New Zealand’s past asset sales failed to build trust. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich talked to Damien Grant on Different Matters about whether Donald Trump is driving the decline of the liberal rules-based order or is merely a symptom of deeper geopolitical shifts, drawing parallels between Trump and Kaiser Wilhelm II as leaders whose recklessness and disregard for the systems they found set the stage for crisis. The discussion also covered the corruption they both see as a systemic risk to American democracy and its institutions, what the erosion of the rules-based order means for small trading nations like New Zealand, and why the trust being destroyed — both domestically and internationally — could take decades to rebuild. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich spoke with Newstalk ZB about the government's plan to merge the Ministries of Environment, Transport, Housing, Urban Development, and Internal Affairs into a new mega-ministry called MSERD. While he acknowledged the need to consolidate New Zealand's numerous government departments, Dr Hartwich expressed doubts about the timing and effectiveness of this particular merger, drawing comparisons to the challenges faced by the large and complex MBIE. Read more

Nick Clark spoke with Paul Brennan on Reality Check Radio about the government's proposed replacement of the Resource Management Act. Clark welcomed the new approach's stronger property rights, fewer consents, and standardised zones. Read more

Dr Michael Johnston talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about cultural relativism and debates over knowledge systems in New Zealand universities. Dr Johnston responded to accusations from Dr Anne Salmond that the Initiative and Free Speech Union are trying to dictate university policy, defending their support for open debate and the Education and Training Amendment Bill. Read more

Wellington (Tuesday, 2 December 2025) - A new approach to director accountability could prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in tax debt from becoming unrecoverable by requiring directors to act early when financial distress emerges, according to a research note from The New Zealand Initiative. The research note, 'Responsibility before ruin: A pre-emptive fix for NZ's phoenix problem', addresses companies that accumulate large tax debts before dissolving, sometimes only to restart under a new name. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich talked to Newstalk ZB on the corporate tax debt loophole that sees IRD writing off hundreds of millions of dollars annually due to the "Phoenix problem," where companies dissolve and reform under new names. Dr Hartwich highlighted Germany's solution, where directors face personal liability for tax debts if they fail to pay within 20 days or file for insolvency. Read more

Roger Partridge talked to Rob Forsyth on the Centre for Independent Studies podcast Liberalism in Question about his essay defending classical liberalism against critiques from Christian nationalists who argue liberal societies need "strong gods". Partridge argued that liberal democracy's ailments stem from policy failures in housing and education, institutional decay, postmodernism's corrosive influence, and inadequate civic education rather than from being too philosophically thin. Read more

Wellington (Tuesday, 25 November 2025) - A grades are now only a few years away from becoming the most common grade awarded at New Zealand universities, according to new analysis released today by The New Zealand Initiative. The research note, ‘Fifty Shades of Grades: Grade Compression at New Zealand Universities’, builds on the Initiative's August report, ‘Amazing Grades’, which identified a substantial rise in A grades as well as rising pass rates. Read more

Dr James Kierstead talked to Ingrid Hipkiss on RNZ's Morning Report about his research showing A grades are becoming the most common at New Zealand universities, rising from 35% to nearly 50% at some institutions. Dr Kierstead explained that grade inflation is driven by academics' incentives around student numbers and feedback, arguing it dilutes the value of top grades and undermines motivation for hard work. Read more

Dr James Kierstead discussed grade inflation at New Zealand universities on Newstalk ZB. He explained that A grades have increased from 22% to 36% of all grades since 2006, while B and C grades have fallen, with the Initiative's analysis finding no evidence students are getting smarter—suggesting academics have incentives to award higher grades. Read more

Dr James Kierstead talked to Heather du Plessis-Allan on Newstalk ZB about the Initiative's new research showing A grades at New Zealand universities have surged 64% since 2006 and now make up nearly 40% of all grades. Dr Kierstead explained that academics face pressure to inflate grades to maintain student numbers and positive feedback, undermining universities' credibility as reliable signals to employers and requiring potential government intervention to address the systemic issue. Read more

Nick Clark talked to Paul Brennan on Reality Check Radio about his report on New Zealand's electoral system and why it needs reform. Clark argued for moving to four-year terms, increasing MP numbers to strengthen select committees, lowering the 5% party threshold, scrapping costly low-turnout by-elections, tightening advance voting rules, and improving civics education so voters better understand how democracy works. Read more