Massey Uni Economist, and Initiative Adjunct Senior Fellow, Christoph Schumacher chats with Sean Plunket on New Zealand's official cash rate (OCR). Christoph is the co-creator of GDPLive (gdplive.net), the world's first real-time GDP tracker powered by artificial intelligence. Read more
At about three in the morning, three days after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, our family got into the car. Power and water had been out at our South New Brighton home since Tuesday’s earthquake. Read more
Inflation is the hottest topic in economics right now, with economic powerhouses like the US, Germany or UK about to hit (or have already reached) double figures. Even our once-called ‘rock-solid’ economy is trending in this direction, yet our reserve bank seems reluctant to take the necessary monetary policy measures. Read more
Spending money does not, on its own, fix problems. It matters how that money is spent. Perhaps you think that is obvious. Read more
As Monty Python reminded us, you never expect the Spanish Inquisition. So its appearance in a New Zealand Initiative Insights column might well seem a little unsettling. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich from the New Zealand Initiative chats with Sean Plunket about the state of our education system. Read more
A new report from the Education Review Office says attendance in schools is worse here than other countries. New Zealand Institute executive director of the Oliver Hartwich says this shouldn't come as a surprise, with achievment among students also dropping year-on-year. Read more
Some crises occur suddenly. Natural disasters, wars and pandemics can break out almost overnight. Read more
Rachely Smalley interviews Dr Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of the NZ Initiative about Adrian Orr's reappointment as Reserve Bank Governor for another five year term.
Read more
Wellington (Wednesday, 9 November 2022) – There are no silver bullets for ending the regulatory mess that makes housing hard to build, but there may be silver buckshot. A Member’s Bill from ACT’s Brooke van Velden proposes sharing half of the GST on new housing with councils where new housing is built. Read more
NZ Initiative Executive Director Oliver Hartwich recently wrote an opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald describing the current education system as a 'disaster'. The piece called for better educational training and more defined career structure for teachers in order to improve our nation's educational rankings in reading and mathematics. Read more
Victoria University's Associate Professor Martien Lubberink specialises in banking regulation. In Newsroom, Prof Lubberink warns of unintended consequences of setting extra taxes on current bank profits. Read more
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It is often only after time passes that one realises what one should have done differently. Read more