MEDIA

Wellington (20 March 2015): Applying GST on low-value imports could easily backfire and end up doing more harm than good for the economy, The New Zealand Initiative warned today. Head of Research, economist Dr Eric Crampton said applying GST at the border only makes sense if there is a way of doing it that neither deters foreign retailers from shipping to New Zealand, nor imposes substantial hassles on Kiwis importing goods from abroad, nor proves too expensive to collect. Read more

Wellington (13 March 2015): If you have recently been told that economic growth makes us unhappy, that it spoils the environment and that it increases inequality in society, think again. That is the key message of a new report from public policy think tank The New Zealand Initiative. Read more

More than five-thousand submissions have been made on a controversial plan to create a Supercity in the Greater Wellington region. Read more

 

Greece – the hard work starts now. Read more

Read more

Wellington (12 February 2015): The New Zealand Initiative says Chatham Rise Phosphate’s failure to secure a mining consent underscores the flaws in marine resource legislation, which if left unchanged, could permanently stunt economic growth in New Zealand. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) yesterday announced that would not grant the Wellington-based company a consent to harvest rock phosphate nodules from Chatham Rise, an undersea ridge situated several hundred kilometres off the Canterbury coast. Read more

Wellington (5 February 2015): The New Zealand Initiative welcomed today’s Productivity Commission report highlighting the importance of productivity growth. The report, “Who benefits from productivity growth? Read more

Wellington (2 February 2015): The New Zealand Initiative has welcomed the launch of LGNZ’s latest discussion paper on local government funding as an important step towards improving how councils deliver services to communities. The think tank’s Executive Director, Dr Oliver Hartwich, said New Zealand has one of the most centralised forms of government among developed countries, with 90 cents in every tax dollar spent by officials in Wellington. Read more

Read more

Only solution is for Greece to leave Eurozone, says New Zealand Initiative's Dr Oliver Hartwich. Read more

Wellington (22 January 2015): The New Zealand Initiative has welcomed the overhaul of the Resource Management Act, in particular the focus on housing affordability and the restoration of property rights, but is still concerned about the ambiguity surrounding Section 5. The latest overhaul of the legislation was announced yesterday by the Hon Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Building and Housing, citing economic research that indicated the RMA had cost the country 40,000 homes and added $30 billion in costs. Read more

Eric Crampton talks to Newstalk ZB's Michael Sergel about private vehicle hire app Uber lodging an IPCA complaint over drivers being pulled over by Police.

PLAY AUDIO Read more

Duncan Garner speaks with Eric Crampton, Head of Research at New Zealand Initiative, on the growing number of immigrants coming into New Zealand, especially in Auckland. Is it time to cap the amount of immigrants coming into our country? Read more

Estimates have the economy growing above the trend rate compared to other developed nations, but other measures show the benefits of growth aren’t filtering through to all. Patrick O’Meara looks at whether New Zealand's household really are better off. Read more

Wellington (18 December 2014): The New Zealand Initiative’s Head of Research, Dr Eric Crampton, today urged Cabinet to look to the evidence before banning alcohol advertising and sponsorship. The Ministerial Forum on Advertising and Sponsorship this week recommended reasonably comprehensive bans on alcohol advertising and sponsorship. Read more