It may be too early to read too much into the Government's higher than expected deficit. Latest Treasury figures show the Government has recorded a $7 billion deficit for the ten months to April. Read more
Businesses typically avoid taking a stance on contentious political matters, particularly during election campaigns, and that is what makes this week’s media release from Foodstuffs North Island quite remarkable. In this week’s podcast, Oliver Hartwich is joined by Chris Quin, CEO of Foodstuffs North Island, to delve into the pressing issue of escalating retail crime and lawlessness in New Zealand. 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
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
Businesses typically avoid taking a stance on contentious political matters, particularly during election campaigns. That makes this week’s media release from New Zealand’s Foodstuffs North Island quite remarkable. Read more
New Zealand’s universities are in crisis. Their most immediate problem is financial. Read more
State education has been in a void in New Zealand for a number of years. After spending some time as a world leader, the education field has been ploughed with incompetence. Read more
Housing crisis makes growth all about ‘up-and-out’ not ‘up-or-out’ If you want affordable housing, it isn’t a choice between whether people should be able to build townhouses and apartments downtown or subdivisions at the city’s fringes. Cities need to be able to grow in all directions, guided by where people want to live and the cost of providing infrastructure. Read more
In my last column, I used a puzzling proverb to show that we can’t simultaneously have low inflation and cheap money. Today, I use the equally puzzling comment made by Adrian Orr in the OCR announcement that the government is ‘more of a friend than foe’ to explore the relationship between our government and the Reserve Bank. Read more
When I was a lad in the 1950s, I absorbed from adults the notion that it was shameful to be reduced to applying for a state handout. Self-reliance was virtuous. Read more
If there is one constant in New Zealand’s foreign policy, it is its unpredictability. But last week, Defence Minister Andrew Little asserted that New Zealand “knows which side we’re on.” Which was news to us. Read more
Last week Victoria University of Wellington announced that it was looking to cut some 230 to 260 jobs as part of its plan to tackle a $30 million deficit. The news followed an announcement by the University of Otago that it would shed ‘several hundred’ positions in an effort to fill a $60 million dollar hole in its budget. Read more
New Zealand is globally known as a rich tapestry of cultures, but what does that really mean on the ground and how does it shape the world of business and innovation? It's not just about customs and conventions that we can observe and learn. Read more
Oliver Hartwich joins Nick Cater for an in-depth interview and insightful analysis at the frontline of the ideas war.
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Welcome to the New Zealand Initiative podcast! This week's episode presents a dialogue between Dr Michael Johnston and the renowned Professor Gary Hawke. Read more