Ten years ago, I had the privilege of launching The New Zealand Initiative. I believed then and believe more firmly now that New Zealand needs institutions independent of government and the public purse to broaden and deepen our intellectual life. Read more
Who would start a serious think tank on April Fools’ Day? Presumably someone with a good sense of humour. Read more
A funny thing happened on the way to Wellington’s draft Economic Wellbeing Strategy. It’s a tale as old as time. Read more
There is potential value in having a country’s economic policies reviewed by international organisations. Done well, they provide residents with non-partisan expert perspectives. Read more
“Because there is no time for thinking and no rest in thinking, we no longer weigh divergent views; we’re content to hate them.” Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that back in 1878, but he could easily have been describing the early 2020s. Perhaps it was ever thus, but I can’t help feeling the problem Nietzsche was describing has recently got a lot worse. Read more
In rugby, injuries are all too common. Yet we can be certain that 15 players will start for the All Blacks in their next test. Read more
As the saying goes, everything in fashion eventually returns. And so it seems in the economy. Read more
Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine has changed the world. Regardless of how it ends, its consequences will last for decades. Read more
Do you fear and loathe mathematics? If so, you are far from alone. Read more
Regulation often does more to help regulated industries than to protect either consumers or the country at large. Rules imposing costs on an entire industry can benefit large players at the expense of smaller businesses or new entrants. Read more
There is no excuse for being Russian these days, not even if you are a cat. The Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) reacted swiftly to Putin’s war against Ukraine. Read more
Carbon prices are the best way of getting us to Net Zero. The Emissions Trading Scheme can get the job done if the government lets it. Read more
Double jeopardy is a defence that prevents a person being tried twice for the same offence. Unfortunately for the Government, the defence is not available for bad public policy decisions. Read more
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine combined with a global pandemic and a Reserve Bank that has forgotten its core inflation mandate do not make a case for cutting petrol excise and road user charges. And yet, here we are. Read more
The Department for Education in England recently issued guidance to teachers to remind them of legal requirements to be politically impartial when they teach sensitive topics such as the legacy of the British Empire. Commenting on the guidance, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said “contested theories and opinions must not be presented to young people as facts”. Read more