New Zealand’s reading light has been dimming for some time. International assessments show New Zealand’s reading performance has fallen, and that Māori and Pasifika students are particularly underserved. Read more
Our submission is the Emissions Reduction Plan cannot reduce emissionsunder a binding ETS. The government should have written this paper years ago. Read more
Call climate change a catastrophe. Worry about rising seas if you want. Read more
Legislation banning smoking and vaping in cars with children will take effect on Sunday. At the Auckland boundary, police will not only be checking exit papers, but also whether cars comply with the new smokefree regulations. Read more
Content creators are the fastest growing type of small business worldwide. Today, over 50 million people consider themselves 'influencers' on social media. Read more
The Initiative undertakes research that contributes to the development of sound public policies in New Zealand and the creation of a competitive, open and dynamic economy and a free, prosperous, fair and cohesive society. The Initiative’s members include two New Zealand supermarket operators, Woolworths New Zealand and Foodstuffs North Island. Read more
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is channelling Middle Eastern migrants and refugees towards Poland in a bid to destabilise the European Union. People are now camped between the Polish and Belarusian border with nowhere to go. Read more
Another Groundhog Day week in our never-ending Covid crisis. We got an announcement on Monday for another on Wednesday. Read more
When land use planning is wrong, it is hard for anything to be right – from housing to supermarkets. Labour and National jointly support legislation allowing people to build more housing. Read more
The news that our public service is ranked second in the world, according to a UK survey, was overshadowed by two events last week which cast it in a less positive light. New Zealand’s public service placed second in the International Civil Service Effectiveness (InCiSE) Index from Oxford University. Read more
The Initiative has, since its founding, undertaken substantial research into housing supply, zoning, and local government. About a third of the Initiative’s work for the past decade has been devoted to housing and local government. Read more
In the past year, the 26 members of the European Defence Agency (EDA) have spent €186 billion on their militaries. But what is all that spending worth when even a few thousand refugees camping out in Belarus reveal how fragile and vulnerable Europe’s external borders are? Read more
The Ministry of Health’s approach to Covid testing is going to kill people. For all of the past year, the Ministry has been horribly wrong about Covid testing systems. It has ignored substantial reviews of testing policy. Read more
Would you believe that the old story of Hansel and Gretel was based in fact? In 1963, Hans Trexler published a book I’m surprised that Oliver Hartwich hasn’t read: Die Wahrheit über Hänsel und Gretel. Read more
In May, Budget 2021 revealed that work was underway to develop an unemployment insurance scheme. This would see benefits tied to past employment and wages in some way, and those benefits would be generous compared to the status quo. Read more