OPINION

Only one thing contributes to our emissions targets: lower emissions. On that standard, this week’s report from the Climate Change Commission fails. Read more

The first rule of any emissions reduction plan is that it reduces emissions. Yesterday’s plan from the Climate Change Commission does not pass this test. Read more

Anyone who’s gone through strategic planning reviews at places of business under financial distress knows they’re often a prelude to redundancies. Too often, reviews look to see what might be cut, and what can be made of what is left, rather than building toward new opportunities. Read more

The problem with economics is that it often uses a language that non-economists do not speak. Take "externalities", for example. Read more

In mid-2019, the Reserve Bank signalled it was considering unconventional monetary policy such as quantitative easing (QE), vulgo: money printing. Back then, Eric Crampton, Robert MacCulloch and I wrote a short paper called The Unreserved Bank of New Zealand: Why unorthodox monetary policy needs boundaries. Read more

The New Zealand government’s approach to border management, contrary to popular belief, is not terrified of risk. It is far worse than that. Read more

It only took minutes for the ambulance to arrive after my call to 111 from the kitchen floor, the pain cutting through me like a cracked whip. I was in trouble. Read more

Imagine you are a small country of just under nine million people. Your neighbour has a common market of 450 million consumers and 24 million companies. Read more

Persistence looks set to pay off with one of Labour’s 2017 election manifesto promises: to reintroduce compulsory sector-wide collective bargaining across the country. Dubbed “Fair Pay Agreements,” the Government’s plan is to take New Zealand back to the system of awards that dominated industrial relations for most of the 20th century. Read more

Emissions pricing and congestion pricing have a lot in common. The economics of both are straightforward. Read more

When presenting Budget 2021 last week, Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced that work is underway to develop an unemployment insurance scheme. Details are limited. Read more

“Soz, I meen spelng dozent mattr!” For those who haven’t heard, a British university has instructed its lecturers to overlook incorrect spelling, punctuation and grammar. Why? Read more

As American historian and philosopher Will Durant observed, "Civilisation is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew." That is a more polite way of saying that humans make mistakes, cause damage, then repair the mess. . Read more

Where do we come from? What has shaped this country? Read more

Last week’s government budget reinforced the sense of fiscal fantasy that arises when one contemplates the unprecedented deficit spending funded by central bank credit creation occurring here and elsewhere. The government plans to borrow around $30 billion net in the coming fiscal year. Read more