Each year, between 60 and 65 thousand young New Zealanders leave school. Around a third go to university. Read more
Last night, I found myself standing at St Peter’s Church for the “Red Tape Hui,” not to confess my economic sins, but to proselytise about the virtues of the prospective Regulatory Standards Bill. The event, hosted by Labour’s Greg O’Connor, MP for Ōhāriu and Assistant Speaker of the House, featured a panel including Dr Bryce Edwards from The Integrity Institute and Craig Renney from the Council of Trade Unions. Read more
Last week, I had the opportunity to interview Michael Pezzullo, former Secretary of the Australian Department of Home Affairs, for The New Zealand Initiative’s podcast. Pezzullo gave a stark assessment of the security challenges facing Australia and New Zealand in the Indo-Pacific region. Read more
A skilled workforce is fundamental to a healthy economy. In New Zealand, we have no shortage of young people wanting a university education. Read more
Jim Allan’s spirited response to my Quadrant Online column, Trump’s war on constitutional democracy, misses what makes this moment so dangerous for America. While Jim and I share deep concerns about judicial activism and bureaucratic overreach, his attempt to normalise Trump’s recent actions ignores their unprecedented assault on constitutional government. Read more
Donald Trump’s February call with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine’s future marked the end of the post-war order. His promised visit to Moscow and Putin’s planned trip to Washington herald a new era of raw power politics. Read more
Geopolitics offers no shortage of distractions. Ukraine peace negotiations lurch forward then stall. Read more
President Trump promised to drain the swamp, fight bureaucratic overreach, and defend American interests. His policies resonated with voters. Read more
Every website with ".nz" at the end of its address must be registered through InternetNZ. InternetNZ sets rules for who can have a website ending in ".nz", which names they can use for their web addresses, and what might lead to an address being revoked. Read more
Due to New Zealand’s geographic distance from other countries, Kiwis developed a DIY attitude in the days when trading was difficult. As a result, some remarkable inventions were created. Read more
“On April 2nd, reciprocal tariffs kick in,” declared President Donald Trump in his recent address to Congress. With these words, he signalled not merely a policy shift but the end of globalisation as we have known it. Read more
It isn’t the congestion charging scheme that I would have most-preferred. But the best congestion charging scheme is the one that can get across the line and enjoy durable political support, so long as it can work. Read more
Late last year, online newsmagazine The Spinoff asked the usual suspects for their one-sentence summary of the year ahead. I stole a line from Gramsci, or at least a paraphrased version of it. Read more
Some see Ukraine’s fight as a defining battle for freedom. Others dismiss it as a reckless provocation. Read more
If you read this as we send out this newsletter, we are just preparing to meet with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation visiting Wellington for their biennial Article IV consultation. The IMF conducts these comprehensive economic assessments of its member countries every two years. Read more