Tenacity is normally a virtue. But when that tenacity is in pursuit of the kind of thing that has gotten you in trouble before, it is just a bit less virtuous. Read more
The accommodation supplement is supposed to make housing more affordable for low income tenants. But whether it can really do that job depends a lot on market conditions. Read more
The past few months have seen a series of tweaks to New Zealand’s immigration settings. While criticised by opposition parties as election year tinkering, the changes have introduced greater flexibility for entry by highly skilled migrants. Read more
You do not need prices in a land of plenty. Prices are a wonderful way of coordinating competing demands on scarce resources. Read more
The 2017 Budget brought a boost to fisheries management intended to enhance New Zealand’s much-touted world-leading Quota Management System. The Minister for Primary Industries announced $30.5 million towards a world-leading Integrated Electronic Monitoring and Reporting System (IEMRS). Read more
You won’t normally find this column defending nanny-state initiatives around healthy eating. Personal responsibility matters, and the simple fact that somebody chooses food you would not choose for yourself hardly means they are irrational, or that force-feeding them things they do not like would make them better off. Read more
An unusual event took place among the leaders of New Zealand’s largest companies last week. Whether it was Air New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon, ASB Bank’s Barbara Chapman or delegation leader Fraser Whineray from Mercury, en masse they put aside their desk jobs to participate in The New Zealand Initiative’s week-long Go Swiss trip. Read more
If the Government wants its announced increase to the Accommodation Supplement to do any good, it had better have some policies ready to help increase housing supply. Otherwise, landlords are likely to be the main beneficiaries. Read more
When the Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) started testing 15-year-olds in 2000, New Zealand students ranked second in reading and third in maths. Ever since, our scores have perpetually declined. Read more
It may not have caught your attention but New Zealand is in the grips of a tragic health disaster. Is this a particularly deadly new strain of the flu? Read more
Election year budgets are when politicians massage the voters with their own money. Massage can ready a ball player, ballerina or boxer for action, or induce blissful passivity. Read more
Australia makes me happy. It gives me a sense of perspective. Read more
When the UK voted to leave the European Union in last year’s referendum, it was widely interpreted as a victory of the political right. That was not incorrect. Read more
On television early yesterday evening I saw a well-known presenter give Budget 2017 an 8 out of 10 for massaging the electorate. A subtitle read “something for everyone”. Read more
While Budget days bring focus to the Government’s spending priorities, there is no budget day for regulation. Regulation never gets the same attention as spending, but it is at least as important. Read more