Over thirteen thousand more full-time equivalent workers joined the public service from 2017 to 2022 – a 28% increase. It contrasts sharply with Australia’s modest increase. Read more
When it comes to pointlessness, the Companies (Directors Duties) Amendment Bill takes some beating. When drawn from the ballot, the Bill proposed amending section 131 of the Companies Act 1993 dealing with the duty of directors to act in the best interests of the company. Read more
Too many minutes are lost every day pondering trivial matters. We think too much about who the next Prime Minister might be, how crime is hurting our businesses or whether our children are being taught the skills they need at school. Read more
The Green Party’s proposed wealth tax plays to greed and envy. It blithely proposes that everyone can be lifted out of poverty by imposing a heavy wealth tax on a mere 0.7% of the population. Read more
Election campaigns should mainly be about the policies a party would enact, if elected. But they’re also about the things a party wouldn’t do. Read more
While it is easy to lament the current state of New Zealand’s infrastructure, it is important to remind ourselves that we were once builders. On Wednesday, we launched a new report, Paving the Way: Learning from New Zealand’s Past to Build a Better Future. Read more
Labour really should rule out any chance of the Green Party’s proposed wealth tax being part of any coalition agreement. Just consider some of the numbers on what it would do for hurdle rates for wealthy investors in the top income tax bracket. Read more
Sometimes you just have to accept that the devil has the best tunes. That Australians are better than Kiwis at some sports. Read more
Infrastructure is high on the agenda this election year. And why wouldn’t it be? Read more
Last week marked a significant milestone in Europe’s ongoing struggles to navigate the complex issue of migration. After years of fraught discussions, the European Union (EU) finally reached a consensus on a new refugee policy. Read more
Wellington has a lot of problems. No one thing will fix all of them. But the current review of council ratings policy could fix an important problem and provide an example for other urban councils. Read more
Last year, Kiri Allan was forced to withdraw the government’s latest ‘hate speech’ proposals, only a year or so after Kris Faafoi was forced to shelve similar plans. We have no doubt that you were as dismayed as we were by these developments (or lack of developments). Read more
Taking an unusual step, Foodstuffs North Island addressed the escalating retail crime rate in the country in a media release this week. The retailer reported an increase of 38% in retail crime incidents between February and April 2023 compared to the same period last year. Read more
The Budget’s flagship announcement presented an enticing proposal: 20 hours of early childhood education (ECE) per week for children aged two and over, funded entirely by taxpayers, due to commence in March 2024. Nonetheless, there appears to be a hidden cost. Read more
New Zealand’s universities are in crisis. Their most immediate problem is financial. Read more
