Germans went to the polls on Sunday to elect the first post-Angela Merkel government. Ben Craven talks to Oliver Hartwich about the results, who the winners and losers are, and what the next government could look like. Read more
Dr Anne Wyllie, a New Zealand-born researcher at Yale University, led the development of Yale’s SalivaDirect test authorised for use in the USA, and independently validated in Portugal, Mexico, Ireland and the Philippines. She joined the New Zealand Initiative’s Dr Oliver Hartwich and Dr Eric Crampton for a public Zoom webinar on New Zealand’s COVID-19 response, and how we can better manage the pandemic. Read more
Eric Crampton talks to Bryan Crump on Radio NZ Nights about the history of Libertarian attitudes towards vaccination.
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Who could begrudge giving more than $8,000 of public money to every proud owner of brand-new Tesla Model 3 cars? Just look at their smiles. Read more
Germany has voted. The result is not an earthquake, but a landslide. Read more
Germans have cast ballots to choose a successor to Angela Merkel. Oliver Hartwich, originally from Germany, speaks to Mike Hosking about the election results and what they could mean for Europe’s largest economy. Read more
If all political careers end in failure, then Angela Merkel is the exception to the rule. When Germany goes to the elections on Sunday, the chancellor will not seek re-election after 16 years in power. Read more
Who thinks that the current Labour government should seek to emulate the “great traditions” of the 1935 Labour government? At least one person thinks it should, and his opinion counts. Read more
The process of decision-making is complex. Furthermore, its significance transcends both the private and public sectors, and is crucial not just in politics. Read more
The vaccination phase of the Covid pandemic raises some tricky conflicts. The Government is reluctant to make vaccinations compulsory. Read more
In 2016, Australia agreed to purchase 12 conventionally powered Attack Class submarines from France. The deal cost AU$50 billion. Read more
Mike Hosking reviews and reads out part of Bryce Wilkinson's article (published in the NZ Herald) "How past illusions and future follies mar Grant Robertson's economic strategy." Hosking calls it today's "must read". In the article on his new report "Illusions of History: How misunderstanding the past jeopardises our future", Bryce warns that the government's economic policy settings risk a repeat of past mistakes. Read more
Recalling ambassadors from one’s allies is a special kind of diplomatic fireworks. Following the announcement of the new AUKUS defence alliance with Britain, France did just that to the US and Australia. Read more
In his Budget speech last year, Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, outlined the government’s policy aspirations. He saw Labour as being able to take decisions that “will define the lives and livelihoods of many people for years to come”. Read more
Wellington (Tuesday, 21 September 2021) – The 2.8 percent jump in GDP in the June quarter 2021 does not mean that the government’s economic strategy is sound. In fact, it is dangerous wishful thinking based on a false reading of history, according to a new research report from The New Zealand Initiative. Read more