Kiwis households are paying more than $3,000 extra on essentials than they were 12 months ago, and policies implemented by the Government and Reserve Bank are contributing to the problem. The rising cost of living for Kiwis, shows New Zealand has the second-highest inflation rate among our major trading partners, besides the USA, and this is plausibly the result of excessive government stimulus. Read more
Wellington (Thursday, 24 March 2022) – Kiwis households are paying more than $3,000 extra on essentials than they were 12 months ago, and policies implemented by the Government and Reserve Bank are contributing to the problem, according to new research from The New Zealand Initiative. The rising cost of living for Kiwis, shows New Zealand has the second-highest inflation rate among our major trading partners, besides the USA, and this is plausibly the result of excessive government stimulus. Read more
Eric Crampton joins Bryan Crump on Radio new Zealand Nights to discuss the war in Ukraine, and the policy prescriptions libertarians have proposed to stop the conflict.
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We strongly oppose the proposed Social Unemployment Insurance. This submission explains why we believe that such an addition to the New Zealand welfare state is undesirable. Read more
Is New Zealand’s Net Zero carbon emissions target of 2050 likely or achievable? Will electric vehicle subsidies and similar policies help us get there? Read more
Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine has changed the world. Regardless of how it ends, its consequences will last for decades. Read more
Matt Burgess talks with Today FM's Rachel Smalley about why existing efforts are enough to meet net-zero emissions.
Matt's report Pretence of Necessity: Why further climate change action isn't needed and won't help can be read here Read more
Do you fear and loathe mathematics? If so, you are far from alone. Read more
Matt Burgess discusses his latest report with Mike Hosking, NewstalkZB about why further climate change action from the government is not needed and won't help. Matt report Pretence of Necessity can be read here. Read more
At May’s Budget, the government will commit $4.5 billion to new spending on climate change, more than $2,000 per household. The government will also deliver its Emissions Reduction Plan, an array of levies, subsidies, regulations and hard bans. Read more
Regulation often does more to help regulated industries than to protect either consumers or the country at large. Rules imposing costs on an entire industry can benefit large players at the expense of smaller businesses or new entrants. Read more
Wellington (Tuesday, 22 March 2022) – New Zealand is already on track to its emissions targets and the government’s new climate change policies will have almost no effect on emissions, says a new report by public policy think tank The New Zealand Initiative. The report, Pretence of Necessity by Senior Economist Matt Burgess, shows that existing policies are enough and further policies are optional but not necessary to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Read more
Carbon prices are the best way of getting us to Net Zero. The Emissions Trading Scheme can get the job done if the government lets it. Read more
Double jeopardy is a defence that prevents a person being tried twice for the same offence. Unfortunately for the Government, the defence is not available for bad public policy decisions. Read more
There is no excuse for being Russian these days, not even if you are a cat. The Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) reacted swiftly to Putin’s war against Ukraine. Read more