Donald Trump convinced himself and a lot of Americans he could build a wall at America’s southern border and make Mexico pay for it. It was an obviously terrible idea. Read more
From the vantage point of my earlier career at think tanks in London and Sydney, I have had front-row seats to the theatre of value-added tax (VAT) and goods and services tax (GST) policy lunacy. I have seen this seemingly innocent taxation mechanism morph into a clumsy beast, causing bureaucratic nightmares and economic distortions. Read more
A few months ago, I stepped into a parallel universe. I was following up a routine administrative task and soon found myself outside a building I’d never seen before, after 10 years working at Victoria University. Read more
It can be hard for a country to admit that one of its idols has feet of clay. As it happens, one of New Zealand’s educational idols not only had feet of clay, but her name was Clay. Read more
In Tuesday’s parliamentary questions, Minister of Finance Grant Robertson engaged in some impressive word play. He had previously dismissed exempting fresh food and vegetables from GST. Read more
Wellington (Thursday, 3 August 2023) – Pharmac is commonly criticised for being too slow to fund new medicines and for not funding many of them. A policy note released today by the New Zealand Initiative shows why this may be desirable. Read more
Pharmac is often criticised for not funding enough new medicines and for being too slow to determine which ones it will fund. However, being slow and focused is not proof of being too slow or too focused. Read more
As a sometimes absent-minded academic, I’m often very grateful for non-academic staff. Helping me set up my courses before the trimester begins. Read more
A new report finds New Zealand universities have the highest ratio of non-academics to academics amongst English-speaking countries. The report, from the think tank The New Zealand Initiative, finds there are 40 to 50 per cent more managers and administrators than teaching staff. Read more
Public webinar: Blessing or Bloat? Non-academic staffing in New Zealand universities in comparative perspective New Zealand universities are in crisis. Read more
The country’s newspapers have been arguing that tech platforms, like Facebook and Google, should be paying them whenever they link to news. They should be careful what they wish for. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton spoke to Radio Waatea about how providing a universal weekly payment would be less expensive for the government than eliminating the GST on food.
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New research has uncovered how many university staff are working in non-academic roles. The New Zealand Initiative study found there are up to 50 percent more non-academics than academics. Read more
‘Administrative bloat’ – the idea that universities have too many administrators – is hot topic in debates around higher education in the US and elsewhere. Is there a similar problem in New Zealand universities? Read more
Wellington (Tuesday, 1 August 2023) – The New Zealand Initiative’s report Blessing or Bloat? Non-Academic Staffing in New Zealand Universities in Comparative Perspective, co-authored by Drs James Kierstead and Michael Johnston shows that a majority of staff at New Zealand universities are non-academics. Read more