Reports & Media

If the only economics you ever learned was from watching Ben Stein's lecture in the classic film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, you'll still have learned something awfully important for the economic recovery from the pandemic. And it's a lesson that New Zealand and Singapore have taken to heart - as evidenced by the trade agreement Trade Minister David Parker struck last week. Read more

The longer the acute Covid-19 crisis lasts, the more we hear that our economic world will not be the same after the crisis. Some things will of course change. Read more

Time flies. Was it only a year ago that New Zealand’s ban on disposable plastic bags at the supermarket came in? Read more

A fortnight is an eternity in the bewildering Covid-19 world. Two weeks ago, this column argued for a more coherent coronavirus strategy. Read more

Last week, Forestry Minister Shane Jones warned of impending restrictions on New Zealand’s international trade in logs. Even if you don’t really care much about forestry, the Government’s response here may signal what’s in store for the rest of the economy after lockdown. Read more

The world is at war. The enemy may be a tiny virus, but this string of ribonucleic acid has the effect of a large military force. Read more

Early in the pandemic crisis, the Government was quick to offer a wage subsidy scheme to help protect both employers and employees. But is this scheme still fit for purpose? Read more

Two centuries ago, Napoleon Bonaparte called China a sleeping lion and advised to “let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world." Bonaparte's prophecies are relevant again today. The lion is now awake and she is becoming increasingly assertive. Read more

All going well, the Alert 4 lockdown will end in two weeks. But life will not return to normal. Read more