MEDIA

Nick Mills discussed our report "Owning Less to Achieve More" on Newstalk ZB, which proposes selling state homes and replacing them with rent vouchers for tenants. Mills explored the report's findings that Kāinga Ora's maintenance costs are nearly double those of private landlords, and highlighted Sir Bill English's view that the focus has shifted away from tenants towards the houses themselves. Read more

Dr Bryce Wilkinson talked to Wallace Chapman on RNZ's The Panel about the our report "Owning Less to Achieve More", which proposes housing vouchers for state housing tenants as an alternative to direct government ownership. Dr Wilkinson explained how vouchers could empower tenants through provider choice, similar to the pre-school education model, while panellists Sue Bradford and Dean Hall debated the importance of housing stability versus addressing inefficiencies in the current system. Read more

Nick Clark talked to Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB about improving local government voter turnout and council effectiveness. He argued that smaller, more localised councils with stronger mayoral powers and better accountability mechanisms could increase engagement, pointing to Switzerland's model of thousands of local government units as a potential alternative to New Zealand's consolidation approach. Read more

Nick Clark talked to Jack Tame on Q+A about the record-low voter turnout in local elections, arguing councils need stronger mayors, better funding tools, and freedom from central government interference to restore public engagement. He advocated for incentive-based funding mechanisms like GST sharing on building consents while expressing concerns about the government's proposed rates capping, warning it could lead to infrastructure deficits and higher debt. Read more

On Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking recommended Roger Partridge's the New Zealand Herald article on bank capital requirements, explaining the context of Adrian Orr's policy requiring banks to hold significant reserves - which banks argued contributed to higher mortgage costs. Hosking outlined Partridge's criticism that the Reserve Bank Board's government-ordered review of these requirements was done improperly and essentially solved nothing. Read more

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