Reports & Media

On Monday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon released his government’s 40-point policy action plan for the next three months. Perhaps the most important, but also the most controversial, item on his ‘to-do list’ is reform of the Resource Management Act (RMA). Read more

As Peter Dutton promotes his vision of a nuclear-powered Australia, New Zealanders should also be thinking about their country’s energy future. Given the right energy policy choices, New Zealand would have a chance to redefine its economic future. Read more

If philosophy students remember one thing from their lectures on Immanuel Kant in undergraduate classes, it is his categorical imperative. It’s easy to remember because it’s an awful lot like the old Christian ‘Golden Rule’. Read more

There’s a style of conference talk that I loathe. A self-described visionary will spend twenty minutes, or worse - even longer, stringing together clichés about how change is happening faster than ever before, how it will take soft skills to navigate it, and how we need to be ready. Read more

Sometimes, only truly committed localists can see the polished diamond hiding inside the very rough stone. We can remind ourselves that decades of poor incentives facing councils don’t build strong organisations. Read more

Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Chief Economist Paul Conway recently delivered a speech entitled “Inflation: the road back to 2%”. The speech ostensibly charted a path forward. Read more

With New Zealand’s economy becalmed, a fresh wind is blowing in from across the Tasman. The Albanese government’s decision to cap international student numbers has created a potential $2.5 billion-a-year opportunity for New Zealand. Read more

In the opening months of 2024, I had the honour of chairing a Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for Education Minister Erica Stanford. Our remit included both the curriculum, which specifies what students should be taught, and the common practice model, which specifies methods of teaching. Read more

“How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?”, asked Charles de Gaulle in 1962. Well, after its forthcoming elections, a plethora of cheese varieties may be the least of France’s problems. Risks abound for both France and Europe. Read more