When land prices are wrong, it’s hard for anything to be right. When zoning makes it too hard to build in places where people want to live, land prices will be out of whack. Read more
At the end of the Cold War, western governments substantially reduced military expenditure. US President Bush and UK Prime Minister Thatcher called it the “peace dividend.” It was not a “dividend” in any normal sense of the term. Read more
This week, the National Party revealed its tax plans for the election. These are aimed at people with average incomes. Read more
In a courageous move, the New Zealand Government introduced a bill that would allow 16-year-olds to vote in local elections. Yes, you read that right: 16. Read more
It has to be the silliest game of Cluedo going. Who caused the cost of living to blow out? Read more
New Zealand was on the brink of an abyss. Its smug and reckless government had burdened the economy with top-down planning, lost control of public finances and created a crisis of confidence in the Kiwi dollar. Read more
New Zealand is standing at a historic crossroads. The 2023 election is not just another election; it is a turning point, a watershed moment for our nation’s future. Read more
One of the key themes that echoes through the 21 areas of public policy we cover in Prescription for Prosperity, is localism. We need to get central bureaucracy out of the way, so that local innovation can thrive. Read more
I’m a fan of prizes for rewarding innovation. Prizes motivate. Read more
Transport policy in New Zealand increasingly resembles an episode of Utopia, the Australian comedy series that lampoons a government agency responsible for large infrastructure projects. In one memorable episode, the hapless bureaucrats in the Nation Building Authority are instructed by a political staffer to investigate the feasibility of a “very fast train” connecting Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane despite reams of evidence suggesting it is a terrible idea. Read more
If everything had gone according to plan, this column would have been about the visit of the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, to New Zealand. That would have been appropriate as German ministers do not make it to this part of the world too often. Read more
Shakedown rackets are, thankfully, illegal. Except when government legislates them. Read more
In 1989, the Lange government implemented the Tomorrow’s Schools reforms. The old Department of Education was replaced by a new agency, the – initially – much leaner Ministry of Education. Schools became self-governing. Read more
Why does so much of the world speak English? As someone who was born in Canada, educated in the UK and US, and has now been living in New Zealand for more than a decade, the question has always fascinated me. Read more
Ingredients: 1 cup contradiction (finely chopped) 500 grams of voter polling (preferably gullible) 2 tablespoons of economic nonsense (no substitutes) A generous pinch of legal complexity A dash of ambiguity (to taste) A sprinkling of international tax quirks A heaped spoonful of political expediency Preparation: 1. Start with the contradictions: Begin by asserting that the policy will help low-income families. Read more