OPINION

“These days, ESG means Energy, Security and Geostrategy.” René van Vlerken, CEO of Euronext Amsterdam, was explaining to our delegation how Europe’s largest stock exchange operator had expanded sustainable investing orthodoxy. He was matter-of-fact about this remarkable shift. Read more

Finance Minister Nicola Willis described last week’s meeting with Fonterra’s chief executive as “routine.” But routine meetings do not usually begin with public promises that a CEO will “front up” over pricing. Nor do they require clarification in Parliament, a prime-time media round, and a CEO pursued up the steps of Parliament by a television news crew. Read more

Some things are legitimately confusing. Canada’s low-risk drinking guidelines are not confusing. Read more

When our New Zealand Initiative delegation visited Amsterdam last month, officials from the Advisory Board on Regulatory Burden shared something striking. Before talking to us, this government agency had researched New Zealand’s approach – and they were astonished. Read more

Imagine asking your accountant to explain their calculations – and they respond by demanding triple their fee and warning you will be embarrassed by what they find. That is roughly what happened when New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) was asked about new transparency requirements. Read more

You might not remember 2025, even though it’s only two decades ago. AI was only just beginning. Read more

The government’s Overseas Investment (Amendment) Bill is more good than bad. It is more welcoming of incoming overseas investment. Read more

Before our Netherlands delegation in June, I wrote in this publication about the political chaos we might encounter (When populists cannot be tamed, Newsroom 10 June 2024). Geert Wilders had just brought down the government he helped create. Read more

After decades of planning gridlock, the government has promised to put property rights at the heart of New Zealand’s resource management system. But will its latest reforms deliver lasting change or just patch up the mess we already have? Read more

News this week of how hard it was for some Gen Z New Zealanders to find paid work made grim reading. They were stories of young, qualified people handing out dozens of CVs, applying for hundreds of jobs, and receiving little more than silence in return. Read more

Kia ora, colleagues! It’s me, your Vice-Chancellor. Read more

When students across New Zealand say they are not learning anything at school, we should listen. After nearly six months speaking with New Zealand’s schools and universities, I have witnessed firsthand how this nation has become the unwitting laboratory for one of education's most destructive experiments. Read more

There is a fun sign at the Wairau Road Pak’nSave explaining the store’s story. The story began in 1987 when Foodstuffs acquired an interest in the land. Read more

The Regulatory Standards Bill before Parliament provides no enforceable legal right to compensation for the cost of regulation. It only suggests that compensation can be warranted when regulation takes or impairs property. Read more

The government's latest Resource Management Act (RMA) consultation promises improvements to a broken system. The proposals for new national directions for infrastructure, the primary sector, and freshwater raise a critical question: are they preparing the ground for a property-rights-based resource management system or merely tinkering at the edges? Read more