Sean Plunket talks to Dr. Oliver Hartwich from The New Zealand Initiative - NZ is now a mediocre country. Read more
Federated Farmers and Beef & Lamb New Zealand have stepped-up their campaigns against carbon forestry. Federated Farmers objected to a Dutch company’s purchase of two sheep and beef farms for tree-planting, arguing it would mean fewer jobs and people in rural towns. Read more
The world thinks of New Zealand as the land of the long white cloud. Renowned for its stunning natural beauty and resources, it is considered an island paradise. Read more
New Zealand’s much-publicised truancy problem is not easy to get a handle on. Should we go for the carrot or the stick? Read more
The state sector is widely failing to meet the public’s expectations. One problem is inadequate accountability due to confused objectives. Read more
The classic British TV series Yes, Minister put the problem well. Any incoming Minister faces a nearly impossible task not only in getting their head around the policy issues in their area, which can be formidable, but also in getting to grips with the machinery of state. Read more
When I started learning English, I didn’t understand the popular idiomatic proverb: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Of course, you can eat your cake if you have one. It’s the whole point of a cake – being eaten. Read more
Sometimes change is sudden. At other times, it creeps up slowly and is only obvious looking back. Read more
Auckland Council’s draft Future Development Strategy all but guarantees that Auckland housing will never be affordable. Those keen on affordable housing ought to pay attention to it. Read more
In this thought-provoking episode, the Initiative’s economists – Dr Oliver Hartwich, Dr Eric Crampton, Dr Tony Burton, and Dr Bryce Wilkinson – dive into the debate over whether Australia is a better option for skilled talent. They discuss the current challenges faced by New Zealand in terms of health, education, and infrastructure, and how the nation's performance is deteriorating relative to Australia. Read more
This week’s revelation that the Government has spent over $80m in rebates to Tesla owners should cause outrage. And not simply because subsidising the well-off into new cars fails to pass the sniff test. Read more
An IRD report on effective rates of tax attracted much public attention last week. It was launched by the Minister of Revenue, David Parker. Read more
In 1983’s classic film War Games, computer-whiz Matthew Broderick hacked into Pentagon supercomputer WOPR - almost starting World War 3. WOPR had been programmed for war gaming. Read more
The parlous state of new Zealand’s school education system is common knowledge, in part thanks to the Herald’s recent Making the Grade series. Our poor results in literacy featured prominently. Read more