People crowd

As Kiwi as pavlova

“Few ways are guaranteed to make yourself unpopular in New Zealand: try claiming that pavlova was an Australian invention; hating the All Blacks; or maybe expressing sympathy for local government.” This is the opening paragraph in our new publication #localismNZ: Bringing power to the people. We launched it yesterday at a joint symposium with Local Government New Zealand. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Insights Newsletter
1 March, 2019
Work

A missed opportunity on productivity

The jury is out for the released Tax Working Group’s “Future of Tax” Report, with the government promising to deliver its verdict in April. Unfortunately, a careful reading of the 200-page document already shows a missed opportunity to address New Zealand’s biggest elephant in the room: slow productivity growth. Read more

Dr Patrick Carvalho
Insights Newsletter
1 March, 2019
ParliamentBeehive

The pains of taxing capital gains

The Tax Working Group’s proposed capital gains tax would constitute one of the most penal regimes in the world if implemented. A comprehensive CGT regime would also tarnish the simplicity and competitiveness of New Zealand’s internationally praised tax system. Read more

Dr Patrick Carvalho
The National Business Review
1 March, 2019

Media release: Growing support for Kiwi community power

Wellington (27 February 2019): A joint LGNZ/New Zealand Initiative conference held in Wellington tomorrow will explore the results of a new survey that reveals the majority of those surveyed support a move towards local services being managed and provided by local decision-makers. With New Zealanders’ attitudes towards devolved government shifting, many believe now is the time to explore localism. Read more

Media release
27 February, 2019
ParliamentBeehive4

Politics and the price of a life, or a friend

Last week, Thomas Coughlin reported that “the wellbeing framework that puts the ‘value of a statistical life’ at $4.7 million is coming under fire.” There is a lot to criticise about the wellbeing framework, and I am hardly one of its cheerleaders. But it is absurd to criticise it for trying to apply proper cost-benefit assessment – and even more absurd to criticise it for putting a value on statistical lives. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Newsroom
26 February, 2019

Stay in the loop: Subscribe to updates