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
A couple of months ago, I was part of a panel discussion on the future of tertiary education, hosted by the Tertiary Education Union. It wanted a forecast of the future of skills in a world of technological change: what should universities be teaching to prepare students for the world ahead? Read more
Thirteen billion Euros ($20bn) is a lot of money, even if you are a giant multi-national like Apple. That is the sum the European Commission wants Apple to pay the Republic of Ireland. Read more
Right now, you probably have homeowner’s insurance that, if a catastrophe happened, would let you build a new house providing similar functionality to your current house, up to a specified total cost. Here’s the deal. Read more
Some of the most admired New Zealanders have achieved success getting high. Many have been addicted to it, and self-confessedly so. Read more
The obesity experts in favour of a sugar tax are right about one thing: some of the opposition to such a tax is ideological. But they're kidding themselves if they think that is the only reason. Read more
Vancouver and Auckland have much in common. Both are beautiful harbour cities. Read more
2016 is closer to 1240 than you might think. In 1240, Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, established the first ever documented student loan system. Read more
With Britain set to leave the European Union in the next few years, pressure will mount on Germany to keep up its economic-leadership role in Europe. The country appears up to the task, especially given the labor-market reforms of a decade ago that boosted employment to unusual highs (for Europe). Read more
We are all familiar with nightmares. They can be terrifying. Read more
A penny saved is a penny earned. This should be the motto of regulatory reform. Read more