Dr Andrew Butler and Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s new book, A Written Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand, proposes radical changes. This is not entirely a surprise. Read more
A back-to-basics approach is more important than fads when it comes to regional economic development. If rising house prices are not enough to make Wellington residents feel better about themselves, a recent article about the city’s vibrant economy and culture should do the trick. Read more
It is said that if something is not broken you should not try to fix it. Fair enough. Read more
Departing MP Kevin Hague’s valedictory speech this week offered us this astute insight: "The economy is not some force of nature. It is a collection of tools that we can re-engineer to help us meet social goals." It is such a shame so few politicians view the economy in this way. Read more
School exam papers do not often make the headlines, but when they do it is always for the wrong reasons. The recent saga about an unexpectedly difficult NCEA algebra exam may be a case in point. Read more
In the world of international organisations, there is probably none quite like the Mont Pelerin Society. Founded by a small group of academics in 1947, its mission is to keep the idea of classical liberalism alive – not by PR or propaganda but simply through facilitating discussions among members. Read more
The launch of the first report on recreational fisheries caused quite a stir. The media sent alarms that decreasing daily bag limits were inevitable, and that we were running out of fish. Read more
Open the pages of any major newspaper and you will be inundated with reasons why New Zealand needs to tackle its housing affordability crisis. It needs to be fixed to stop bank balance sheets from imploding, to free capital trapped in unproductive assets, or to put that all-important first rung on the housing ladder within greater reach of first home buyers. Read more
New Zealand maintained its third place ranking in this year’s Economic Freedom of the World reports, but it’s hardly a place allowing markets in everything. And that can be costly. Read more
The Auckland housing situation has been developing for several years, if not decades, but only recently has the government acknowledged it is at a crisis point. The continued denial that a crisis was looming allowed the problem to grow into something that will take considerable time and effort to fix. Read more
Last week New Zealand's local government sector got together and publicly thumbed its nose at central government’s latest attempt to coerce councils to deliver services more efficiently. More specifically, a group of mayors from across the country took issue with the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill (No 2), calling it “amalgamation by stealth” and “anti-democratic”. Read more
Last month, we launched a report on the government’s interest-free student loan policy. To summarise briefly, the scheme has had no particular benefits in improving access to tertiary study, but has been rather costly both for the government and for the tertiary sector. Read more
If sugar is the new tobacco, then soda drinkers must be the new smokers. So what can we expect next in the war against sugar? Read more
A health minister caught snorting cocaine would be news. A health minister seen snorting fake cocaine might be news. Read more
Did the Canadian experiment work? It is far too early to tell, and anybody claiming otherwise may be trying to sell you something, writes Eric Crampton There’s a reasonable consensus that not building enough houses, apartments, or terraced housing is at the root of Auckland’s lack-of-homes problem. Read more