In August 2025, the Government announced the biggest reform to New Zealand’s building consent system in two decades. The problem? Read more
AI chatbot Claude is a friendly chap. Knowledgeable and helpful, too. Read more
Labour wants to funnel Crown dividends into a new sovereign wealth fund restricted to domestic investments. The stated goal is to boost domestic risk capital, but the design is terrible. Read more
For almost all of human history, life was a grind. Most people lived and died poor, generation after generation. Read more
Every country has sacred cows: government programmes beyond criticism even when failing. Britain has the NHS, Australia has Medicare. Read more
Dr James Kierstead talked to Damien Grant on Different Matters about The New Zealand Initiative's research showing substantial grade inflation at New Zealand universities, with A grades rising from roughly 15% to over 30% of all grades awarded, peaking at nearly 50% during COVID at some institutions. Dr Kierstead explained how this grade inflation undermines the signalling value of university qualifications for employers and represents a "tragedy of the commons" where individual academics inflate grades to boost student numbers, ultimately damaging the credibility of the entire tertiary education system. Read more
In this episode, Michael talks with Sir Nick Gibb, who served as England’s Minister for Schools for a decade, about the evidence-based reforms that transformed English education through systematic phonics, a knowledge-rich curriculum, and structured maths teaching. They explore how progressive education ideology led to England’s earlier decline in international rankings, the cognitive science underpinning effective teaching, and New Zealand’s promising early results from adopting similar reforms. To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
This month’s Nobel Prize in Economics arrives at an opportune moment. The award to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt for having explained innovation-driven economic growth provides a salutary reminder about what drives prosperity. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton talked to Corin Dann on RNZ's Morning Report about Labour's proposed NZ Future Fund, alongside Simplicity co-founder Sam Stubbs. Dr Crampton raised concerns about the fund's restrictions on asset sales and questioned whether it would create economic fragility rather than resilience, arguing that the $800 million in diverted dividends would need to be replaced through spending cuts or tax increases. Read more
There’s a very old saying that taxation is the science of plucking the chicken without making it squawk. The earliest form of the saying seems to go back to a 1766 letter from French economist Anne Robert Jacques Turgot to David Hume – though the exact origins are disputed. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about Labour's Future Fund proposal, explaining how it differs from New Zealand First's similarly named policy and noting it lacks detail on funding and operations. Dr Hartwich highlighted contradictions between the fund's dual mandate, compared it unfavourably to Singapore's Temasek Fund, and identified protecting state assets from privatisation as the real political purpose behind the proposal. Read more
New Zealand has an awful lot of odd little cartels. At least if we define ‘cartels’ using an economist’s definition rather than a lawyer’s definition. Read more
ou do not have to own someone's house to help them, so why does Kāinga Ora's Reset Plan envisage continuing to own around 78,000 housing units? This week, The New Zealand Initiative published my report "Owning less to achieve more: Refocusing Kāinga Ora". Read more
I must confess, I am something of a literary philistine. So, when I heard this week that László Krasznahorkai had won the Nobel Prize for Literature, I had no idea who he was. Read more
My stat of the week is 38 percent. This is the provisional voter turnout at the 2025 local elections. Read more
