Wellington 25 May 2020 - To prepare for the next virus pandemic, New Zealand has plenty to learn from the successes of three East Asian states, according to a summary report from The New Zealand Initiative. Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan all successfully “flattened the epidemiological curve” early in their Covid-19 pandemic responses. Read more
Wellington, 21 May 2020 - Even in emergencies, democratic governments must comply with the law, according to a new report The rule of law or the law of rulers by the New Zealand Initiative. As legal challenges emerge to question the lawfulness of the Government’s restrictions, courts will decide whether the lockdown was illegal. Read more
Our Senior Fellow Dr Bryce Wilkinson presented to the Epidemic Response Committee on 19 May 2020. He shared his thoughts on Budget 2020 and the impact of Covid-19 on the economy. Read more
Wellington, 18 May 2020 - More time for scrutiny of the proposed changes to the Overseas Investment Act is needed, particularly when thousands of Kiwi businesses teeter on the edge of bankruptcy. The Government tabled the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Amendment Bill last Thursday for its first reading on the same day. Read more
Wellington, 14 May 2020 - The Government’s proposed changes to the Overseas Investment Act will only make it harder for struggling Kiwi businesses to recover after Covid-19 lockdowns, said The New Zealand Initiative. Yesterday, associate finance minister David Parker announced the introduction of a “national interest test” for New Zealand’s strategic assets should they go on the market. Read more
Wellington, 14 May 2020 - Budget 2020 puts the Government firmly in the driver’s seat to get New Zealand through the Covid-19 financial crisis, but it will need more than good intentions to succeed, according to The New Zealand Initiative. The Coalition Government announced the largest spending package in the country’s history, adding $50 billion to the already announced $12.1 billion Covid-19 recovery fund for an enormous total of $62.1 billion, with much of that funding held in reserve in case of future outbreaks. Read more
A pre-Budget poll shows the majority of Kiwis favour ‘helicopter money’ with many fearful or uncertain about their immediate futures. Eric Crampton discusses better alternatives for helicopter money, such as extending the student loan scheme to non-students, with Wallace Chapman on Radio NZ's The Panel. Read more
Wellington, 12 May 2020 - Taiwan’s relative success against Covid-19 makes it a great candidate for connections with New Zealand after lockdown, according to a new report from The New Zealand Initiative. As New Zealand prepares to downgrade to Alert Level 2, the Government will be keen to find other Covid-free countries to help restart the Kiwi economy. Read more
Wellington, 8 May 2020 - More economic freedom will be the key to surviving the next phase of the Covid-19 recovery, and the Government should step aside as soon as it can, according to a new report For better or for worse: How governments respond to crises by The New Zealand Initiative. After placing the country in enforced lockdown for nearly two months, the Government is now considering its options to reopen many Kiwi businesses sometime in the next few weeks. Read more
So far the Government has announced $50 million in funding to support the media industry as it deals with a financial hit from the Covid-19 crisis. There have also been calls for the Government to make digital platforms Google and Facebook share revenue from journalism. Read more
Wellington, 1 May - New Zealand’s relative success against Covid-19 now gives Kiwi universities a unique opportunity to attract a new wave of keen international students, according to a report by the New Zealand Initiative. In the report, Open for minds: export education and recovery, chief economist Dr Eric Crampton highlights what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Kiwi universities to reinvigorate their foreign student numbers as the pandemic crisis is brought under control. Read more
Wellington, 30 April - Now is not the time to rethink New Zealand’s hard-won network of trade ties around the world with protectionist policies, warns a new report Reinforcing New Zealand’s trade relationships after Covid-19 by the New Zealand Initiative. While the Covid-19 crisis exposed vulnerabilities in the global supply chain, the answer isn’t to create new trade barriers, said the report’s author and chief editor Nathan Smith. Read more
Bryce Wilkinson discusses the findings in his report Quantifying the wellbeing costs of Covid-19 in the Business Daily Programme on BBC World Service. Read more
Wellington, 24 April - South Korea has tackled the Covid-19 crisis competently and New Zealand could learn from the East Asian country as it considers moving to Alert Level 3, according to a new report from the New Zealand Initiative. While no country comparison is perfect, both New Zealand and South Korea are highly-wired and technologically advanced liberal democracies. Read more
Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson highlights in a new report some concerning ideas from both the government and the Reserve Bank about expanding the money supply to help pull New Zealand out of the Covid-19 economic crisis. He discusses his research and findings on TVNZ Breakfast. Read more