Let's play a game of guess the city: What major Australasian metropolitan area has house prices that are rising twice as fast as inflation and average wage thanks to low interest rates and a lack of supply? Got a good fix on which city I'm talking about? Read more
If you listened closely on Wednesday morning at about 10am, when the World Economic Forum released its Global Competitiveness Index, you might have heard the sound of large quantities of air being gulped down as chests across the country filled with pride. The report showed New Zealand is ranked as the 18th most competitive economy in the world, up five places on last year, but more importantly – at least from a patriotic point of view - three places ahead of Australia, which dropped out of the top 20 for the first time ever. Read more
Imagine the following situation: Your next-door neighbours are going to have a party. They know it will be noisy and it might last till the wee hours. Read more
Nothing arouses the passions like a sport the whole country can get behind, a sport with such wide appeal it’s embraced by the masses and is accessible to anyone and everyone. I am, of course, talking about yachting. Read more
One of the pleasures of the friendly rivalry enjoyed between New Zealand and Australia is the ability to gently rub the opposition’s face in the mud when they’re on a losing streak (in a good natured way of course). This year’s resounding Bledisloe Cup thrashing was just such a chance, but we’re also extending our lead in a more fundamental arena, namely the economy. Read more
Last month, New Zealand celebrated emphatic victories over Australia in the Bledisloe Cup. For many years, sporting competitions like this were the only opportunity for Kiwis to beat their cousins across the Tasman. Read more
Now here's an economic policy idea: What if we strategically placed a few pocket-sized atomic bombs around New Zealand and detonated them? Not too devastating to wipe the country off the face of the earth, of course. Read more
Speech by Dr Oliver Hartwich to The Centre for Independent Studies 'Consilium' conference In previous years Dr Oliver Hartwich spoke at The Centre for Independent Studies 'Consilium' conference about the future of capitalism and about Europe's economic and social decline. His presentation to this month's gathering in Queensland is closely linked to these topics. Read more
Government spending has been rising for the past one and a half centuries. The increase itself is startling, but even more worrying is the composition of government spending in the developed world. Read more
Rightly or wrongly, Britain and its former Antipodean colonies are obsessed with property – it’s imperative that you get that critical first step on the housing ladder. Given this level of obsession, it’s easy to see why housing has become a political football in all three countries, with politicians regularly trotting out new policies to help people buy a first home. Read more
New Zealanders are an irascible lot when it comes to recreational fishing. Around 50,000 people have made submissions opposing options for tightening recreational snapper fishing limits. Read more
Ahrensburg is not the place where great political announcements are made. Usually, the small town in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein does not generate any headlines relevant beyond the city boundaries. Read more
If there is one word that best describes the current state-owned asset sales programme, it would probably be ‘compromise’. In 2008, when the Government was faced with the challenge of tackling rising levels of public debt (projected at 36 per cent of GDP for 2013) in a low-growth economy, all the while nursing a balance sheet heavily overweight on A-rated electricity assets, the choice was clear: sell one to pay the other. Read more
If you are young and ambitious you should leave New Zealand. This was the moot for the New Zealand Initiative’s Next Generation Debates grand final, held at the City Gallery in Wellington last night. Read more
Auckland is often described as a city of urban sprawl. Currently, the Auckland City Council is debating whether a more dispersed, or more condensed city is more efficient in the face of an ever-growing population, increasing fuel costs and environmental concerns. Read more