I am always glad that I am not an economic forecaster. Most people’s exposure to economists is radio or newspaper bits from bank economists making their best guesses about economic growth, the unemployment rate, or the track for interest rates. Read more
My previous columns critiquing President Donald Trump’s constitutional overreach and foreign policy blunders prompted some readers to suggest I had failed to grasp the President’s strategic brilliance. Trump, they insisted, was playing four-dimensional chess while the rest of us fumbled with checkers. Read more
Health Minister Brown's primary care package takes aim at the country's critical GP shortage. He is right to be concerned. Read more
The pendulum theory of politics suggests that policies often swing from one extreme to another without finding a balanced middle ground. Consider New Zealand’s supermarkets. Read more
Struggling to think of a good topic for a humorous column this week, I unexpectedly got a major break when my name was – unbelievably – added to a Signal messaging group of top New Zealand government officials. The texts reveal the magnitude of some of the problems that New Zealand politicians have to deal with. Read more
Imagine that you had to sell your house in a desperate hurry – Melbourne beckons, and the job there starts soon. Some things that would help the sale go ahead would be well worth doing. Read more
Last November, Germany’s “traffic light” coalition collapsed and snap elections were called for February 2025. I dutifully registered to vote as a German living abroad. Read more
Winning an election can still mean losing control. This paradox is playing out in Germany right now. Read more
Trust in New Zealand is fracturing before our eyes. The 2025 Acumen Edelman Trust Barometer reveals a society divided by mistrust. Read more
his week, the Government unveiled its blueprint to replace the Resource Management Act. This is not just another policy tweak – it is a game-changer for New Zealand’s economy. Read more
Imagine asking a CEO to transform a struggling company but giving them just enough time to redecorate the office before facing shareholders again. This is essentially what we do with our three-year parliamentary terms. The Government's introduction of a Bill enabling a four-year term is a once in a generation opportunity for change. Read more
Following the early discovery of RNZ's 1996 time capsule beneath Parliament grounds, a frenzied competition has erupted. Government departments are desperate to cement their historical significance for future generations. Read more
New Zealand’s planning processes have been breaking Wright’s Law for too long. Yesterday’s resource management reform announcement goes some way to fixing things. Read more
Almost two decades ago, I published my first journalistic article. It was a short piece on the nature of money, inspired by Roland Baader, a German economist and student of Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek. Read more
If for some ghastly reason you wanted to hit two birds, and you had two stones, trying to hit both birds with each stone would be pretty silly. You can throw both stones, so why not target things a bit more closely? Read more