Strolling the markets of Hong Kong, I came across a stall dedicated to selling t-shirts bearing the slogan: “same same but different”. The stall’s popularity is just another one of the wonderful quirks of Hong Kong. Read more
Governments do not care about the people more than the people care about themselves. People suffering under communism learnt this the hard way. Read more
The Paris terror attacks are not just a terrible tragedy for those killed or injured and their families. Last weekend’s events have severe political, strategic and economic implications, which could haunt France and the entire EU for years to come. Read more
Some rules were made to be broken. But some rules should never have been made in the first place. Read more
It’s easier to seek forgiveness than permission. And it might be more effective as well. Read more
Labour’s Phil Twyford has been talking a lot of good sense on housing supply, but I am having a hard time making sense of his policies on foreign buyers. So far, the good outweighs the bad. Read more
It is with sincere regret we advise you that this will be our last Insights newsletter. This time next week, the majority of us will be on our way back to where we came from. Read more
There is a lot of fizz in the sugar tax debate, not only because soft drinks are involved. Keen to protect their irresponsible compatriots from themselves, an armada of “experts” wants to ban or at least tax anything sweet. Read more
It’s easier to seek forgiveness than permission. And it might be more effective as well. Read more
One of my favourite jokes about Switzerland goes something like this: An American walks into a Swiss bank with heavy sacks in each of his hands. He goes to the teller, brings his face close to the glass and whispers, “I have two million dollars with me. Read more
I hate self-inflicted wounds. New Zealand’s use of public data, or lack thereof, counts. Read more
Thanks to YouTube, there is likely to be an entire generation whose only knowledge of Hayek and Keynes is through rap (for those of you born before 1990, just go on the interweb and search for the Hayek and Keynes epic rap battle). Most undergraduate economics students will be able to summarise the great divide between Friedrich Hayek and John Maynard Keynes on monetary and fiscal policy. Read more
Will the coming flag referendum pick the right flag? It looks like we might never know. Read more
Last weekend was significant on two fronts: The government announced a major review of our planning system; and the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup. While the latter was celebrated and received all the attention it deserves, the former may be the more important event in the long run. Read more
If you look at the United Kingdom and Switzerland, it would be easy to conclude that the two countries have very little in common when it comes to localism. On one side is Britain, a country that abandoned localism to increasingly concentrate decision making in London over the last 100 years. Read more