Philosopher George Santayana famously said, “those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it” – unless it was too intense and bad for our mental health. Wait, no, that’s not right. Read more
Chronic road congestion is taking a toll on the mobility of goods, services and people in New Zealand’s major urban centres, costing us over a billion dollars every year on wasted hours idling in traffic. That means lower productivity growth (i.e. Read more
Parliament rushed through the final stages of the Government’s Zero Carbon legislation this week, passing the Bill yesterday with support from all parties but ACT. For a law that will fundamentally affect the economy, and for a Bill that received over 12,500 submissions, the speed with which it was ushered through Parliament is remarkable. Read more
Chronic road congestion is taking a toll on the mobility of goods, services and people in New Zealand's major urban centres, costing us more than a billion dollars every year on wasted hours idling in traffic. In Auckland, for instance, drivers spend an average 40 minutes of extra time delayed in traffic during their daily commute. Read more
Congestion pricing, which charges drivers a user fee at peak times in overcrowded routes, can solve New Zealand’s shocking congestion woes, according to a new report launched this week by The New Zealand Initiative. Transport experts consistently agree congestion pricing is the single most-effective way to deal with chronic traffic bottlenecks while providing incentives to increase the use of public transport. Read more
As Parliament rushes the final stages of the Government’s Zero Carbon Bill, a new report by think tank The New Zealand Initiative warns the Bill is so seriously flawed that it could raise emissions. The report, Real action, not empty words says New Zealand can reduce global emissions by far more than we contribute by working with whoever can do the most to reduce emissions, wherever they are. Read more
New Zealand could be a leader in global emissions reduction. We could lower global emissions by far more than we contribute. Read more
New Zealand needs a land transport system that is fit for purpose: a wide range of options that are safe, reliable, environmentally-friendly and cost-effective. But the current transport environment falls far short. Read more
In a world without laws about fists meeting noses, it would make a lot more sense to prohibit us from punching someone else on the nose without their consent than to ban us from punching ourselves on the nose. It might make sense to ban both, but it would be ridiculous to start by banning people from punching themselves. Read more
Bold policy changes in the form of congestion pricing, which charges drivers higher road user rates at peak times in overcrowded routes, can solve New Zealand’s shocking congestion problems, says a new report from The New Zealand Initiative. The Price is Right: The road to a better transport system provides compelling evidence that without proper road user pricing, congestion will continue to increase in our urban centres. Read more
Dr Patrick Carvalho discusses his new report, The Price is Right: The road to a better transport system, with Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB. He highlights the benefits of a revenue-neutral congestion charging system that would help to solve the increasing congestion levels in New Zealand. Read more
Our new report, The Price is Right: The road to a better transport system, by Patrick Carvalho, calls for bipartisan political support for the introduction to congestion pricing. The report argues congestion charging - where road users pay charges based on distance, time, location and vehicle type and weight - can promote funding transparency and accountability while addressing the increasing congestion woes in New Zealand. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich speaks on The AM Show about our latest report, The Price is Right: The road to a better transport system, and highlights how an effective road pricing system (congestion charging), in place of current fuel taxes we pay would benefit drivers, and reduce our shocking congestion problem. Read more
Our executive director Dr Oliver Hartwich sits down with Kim Campbell to discuss the work of the Initiative, why it's important and highlights some of the challenges we face. Oliver gives some insights into his childhood in Germany, and his career path to how he ended up in Wellington at the Initiative. Read more
November 1 was the beginning of a new era for the European Central Bank. Former French finance minister and IMF director Christine Lagarde is the new president of the ECB. Read more