National’s 2010 budget provided substantial tax cuts. But it also implemented an important tax switch at the same time. Read more
One of the most refreshing developments in New Zealand politics is the sudden appearance of Gareth Morgan’s Opportunities Party. No matter whether you love or loathe Morgan, it is uplifting to have a party that defines itself as an ideas and policy movement. Read more
Let’s engage in an absurd exercise. Do immigrants, just in coming to New Zealand, make apples more expensive? Read more
The New Zealand Initiative this week made a case for why, when assessing immigration, it is important to count the benefits and not just the costs. Not surprisingly it was greeted with an intemperate response from NZ First leader Winston Peters, who railed at our finding that migrants are not stealing jobs from Kiwis. Read more
Six months ago, when we started scoping the Initiative’s immigration report, we had a very specific audience in mind: Winston Peters. Our aim was to assemble all the available research and have a fact-based conversation with New Zealand’s most prominent immigration sceptic. Read more
Misery loves company. My misery: Trying to find a half-way decent, reasonably priced flat within walking distance to work that will not cost me an arm and a leg, during the busiest month of the year. Read more
Every American election brings howls of outrage from supporters of the losing side. It’s pretty common to hear about all the people who will move to Canada, or to New Zealand, because of how awful the winning candidate is. Read more
A sufficiently advanced incompetence in a president is indistinguishable from malice. Donald Trump has issued an Executive Order blocking legal American residents, who happen to have been born in a small set of Middle Eastern countries, from returning home. Read more
Running away from a problem will rarely solve it. No matter how fast you run, sooner or later the problem will catch up with you. Read more
This week, the Initiative scored plenty of media mentions – not just in New Zealand but worldwide. Under normal circumstances, this would be a reason to celebrate. Read more
‘Alternative facts’ has been the phrase of the week. President Trump’s attempts to increase the crowd figures at his inauguration demonstrated a new low in post-truth politics. Read more
Public art can be a powerful thing. It can inspire, uplift, and even get us to think introspectively. Read more
Peter Thiel is a world-leading tech investor and a fascinating thinker. Of course NZ was right to make him a citizen. Read more
OPINION: This week, Demographia released their annual housing affordability survey. It has become a sad ritual at the beginning of each year to find out how unaffordable property has become across much of the English-speaking world. Read more
Want to rail against the Global 1% rich-listers? Be a bit careful: if you own a house in Auckland, mortgage-free, you could easily be on that list. Read more