No one has ever accused the Germans of boundless optimism. There is a reason the word Weltschmerz (world-weariness) was once coined in Germany. Read more
Imagine putting $100 in a bank account that earned 2% annual interest but being unable to calculate how much would be there at the end of one year? ($102) As an NBR reader, that question was probably easy to answer. Read more
“If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands”. Clapping is a common gesture across all cultures – even babies clap. Read more
“For a child in Bluff who might be interested in muttonbirds, they are not going to be interested in the fact that there are seven continents in the world." This statement, made by the elected President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, Whetu Cormick, perfectly encapsulates what is wrong with education in New Zealand. Reported in the Herald in response to a question about our national curriculum, Cormick’s example was prompted by our latest research note Ignorance is not bliss. Read more
If there was one buzzword for 2019, it was “wellbeing”. This year, our government launched the world’s first Wellbeing Budget, Treasury continued developing its Living Standards Framework measuring wellbeing, and Statistics New Zealand established Indicators Aotearoa also to measure wellbeing. Read more
Sometimes, being at the front of the queue isn't a good thing. If you lined countries up in a row, starting with the places least friendly to foreign investment, and ending with the places with the fewest restrictions, New Zealand would be near the front of the queue. Read more
The Government can pass whatever legislation it likes regulating the relationship between landlords and tenants. Some of it might make sense; some of it might wind up harming the people it’s intended to help. Read more
To misquote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “Methinks today too many business leaders and politicians doth protest too much.” Less lip service to virtue and more meaningful action might be a fine thing. Or, at least, the risk of having to act in accordance with professed virtues might temper such protestations. Read more
If you have never heard of a “carbolic smoke ball”, you are obviously not a lawyer. The 1892 British case Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company is a classic in the law of contract. Read more
New Zealand’s basic bargain around firearms ownership and policing always seemed rather sensible. It was very much a feature of New Zealand’s general “Outside of the Asylum” approach to policy. Read more
If someone threatened to burn down your house but instead left an unsavoury on your lawn, you might well find yourself feeling grateful. You might even feel more empathy towards your assailant’s complaint. Read more
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke to a group of 13-year-old South Island students on a college excursion to the capital. Their teacher had introduced them to me as specially “gifted and talented” but their main gift appeared to be an inclination towards state action. Read more
There was a great old The Three Stooges bit about plumbing that teaches us a lot about regulation. The Stooges were a trio of hapless idiots who produced comedy gold in the days before colour television. Read more
Tonight, and probably on my own in New Zealand, I am celebrating a geopolitical anniversary. On this 9th of November, 30 years have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Read more
Philosopher George Santayana famously said, “those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it” – unless it was too intense and bad for our mental health. Wait, no, that’s not right. Read more