For years, The New Zealand Initiative has argued for the case for localism in New Zealand, which is one of the most centralised countries in the world. According to a recent tax sharing poll, 70% of people support keeping tax revenue in their communities. Read more
Last week, documents came to light under the Official Information Act, showing that the Ministry of Education has been putting pressure on NZQA to make new literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA easier to attain. It's not hard to see why Ministry officials are worried. Read more
What a difference a few weeks make. At the beginning of the year, I thought the economy would pick up momentum, inflation would soon come down, and polling trends would continue, possibly leading to a change of government come election time. Read more
On Monday, journalists from Stuff tackled Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on his favourite pie. It’s steak, cheese and gravy, should you be wondering. Read more
New Zealand’s school curriculum has things exactly backwards. Let me explain. Read more
The New Zealand Herald this week revealed a government-commissioned research report – just as the opposition called for fewer external consultants. The University of Auckland report for the Ministry of Transport seeks to identify public support for new methods of financing transport infrastructure. Read more
The public service, and the neutrality of its leaders, has become a recent issue. In this episode, Drs Oliver Hartwich and Michael Johnston discuss New Zealand's public service, how it is run, and the importance of public servants being impartial and objective in their work. Read more
Rob Campbell’s uncalled-for derogatory comment about National‘s “three waters” replacement policy has raised concerns about public service bias in New Zealand. His is not the only case. Read more
It was a big political story last week when the Hipkins Government sacked Rob Campbell from his prominent public service roles. The statements Campbell made on LinkedIn were blatantly political. Read more
After Jacinda Ardern's resignation, New Zealand's new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins faces a challenging year ahead. The country is grappling with the devastating impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, while cost-of-living pressures continue to rise. Read more
The Education Ministry's considering changes to new literacy and numeracy tests like fewer questions, simpler language and letting students use spell-check. Documents obtained by RNZ show the Education Ministry and Qualifications Authority have been at odds about the tests' high failure rates. Read more
The most effective policy ideas are not always the most glamourous. In education, there are so many problems that, even having decided on a policy programme, the challenges faced by a Minister in getting it implemented are daunting. Read more
Police Minister Stuart Nash was right about retail crime. Solving the problem, as he suggested, requires reducing the number of targets. Read more
The sacking of Rob Campbell from his role as chair of Te Whatu Ora/Health NZ and the Environmental Protection Authority highlights an urgent need to reform New Zealand’s public service. Campbell’s partisan comments on his LinkedIn profile were inexcusable for someone in his position. Read more
The Charities Amendment Bill is currently before Parliament, but it is flawed and full of unintended consequences. As promised in the Labour Party manifesto, charities in New Zealand are demanding a proper first principles review with a better process and more public participation. Read more