Reports & Media

Wellington (Tuesday, 3 November 2026) - New Zealand heads into the election with two big problems barely mentioned on the campaign trail: rising government debt and stalling productivity. A new report from The New Zealand Initiative, NZ Unbound: Freeing up growth and fixing the books, says the answer starts with getting value for money. Read more

Our Executive Director Dr Oliver Hartwich joined Wallace Chapman and the panel on RNZ’s The Panel to make the case for an independent body to cost election promises. He traced the idea back to a 2007 paper he helped write at the London think tank Policy Exchange, which became the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility under George Osborne in 2010. Read more

With National polling below 25 per cent just days before the election, is the Luxon government being unfairly punished despite delivering meaningful reforms, or has it failed to tackle the problems that matter most? Oliver and Damien assess the government’s record, from falling crime and the new Planning Act to its failure to address New Zealand’s fiscal challenges, and ask whether Christopher Luxon can overcome his unpopularity to win re-election. Read more

In this episode, Michael talks with Andrew Doyle, comedian, author and creator of Titania McGrath, about his book The End of Woke and why he thinks liberalism is in trouble. Joined by James Kierstead, they trace the history of liberalism, debate how a free society should respond to people who reject its values and ask whether schools and universities are teaching young people to think for themselves. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich joined Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB to assess ACT’s manifesto, which proposes $22 billion in savings over four years. He said it stands apart because ACT is the only party that wants to shrink government back to 2017 levels, while the other parties merely promise to cut debt and return to surplus. Read more