Last week, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier faced parliament defiantly. Despite lacking a majority, he tried to push through controversial reforms using Article 49.3 of the Constitution – a mechanism allowing the government to bypass parliamentary votes. Read more
Dr Michael Johnston talks to Sean Plunket on The Platform about Massey University allegedly circulating a banner for staff emails featuring the "2020" logo, which is associated with opposition to David Seymour's Treaty Principles bill. Dr Johnston argues this violates the principle of institutional neutrality and reveals how a university staff member anonymously reported this to the Free Speech Union, though they are still awaiting official confirmation from the university's vice-chancellor. Read more
The Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) runs every four years. It measures Year 5 and Year 9 students in different countries on what they have learned in science and mathematics. Read more
Last night, 850 of New Zealand’s business leaders gathered at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre for the 35th Deloitte Top 200 Awards. The Awards are New Zealand’s premier celebration of corporate excellence. Read more
At this year's Deloitte Top 200 awards, Dr Oliver Hartwich received the special Judges' Award for his outstanding contributions to public policy and thought leadership in New Zealand. Watch him receive the award in the video below. Read more
Most national holidays revolve around either somber reflections or consumerism. It is time for New Zealand to formally recognise the cultural phenomenon that best captures our national spirit: Crate Day. Read more
In this episode, Eric talks to Elizabeth Heeg from the Forest Owners Association about New Zealand's new restrictions on forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme. They discuss why using ETS controls to address local forestry concerns is problematic, examining implementation challenges and arguing that these issues would be better handled through local land use planning. Read more
For over three decades, New Zealand has laboured under an employment law paradox. Laws designed to protect ordinary workers from arbitrary dismissal have constrained firms when dealing with poorly performing senior managers. Read more
The tech sector’s pivot to Trump was an especially odd aspect of a decidedly odd American Presidential election. Silicon Valley’s tech sector had previously seemed populated by centrist Democrats – Peter Thiel aside. Read more
My recent report, Who Makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court,[i] has sparked widespread debate about judicial overreach by the Supreme Court. Read more
Last week, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points to 4.25 percent. In contrast, the RBA kept Australia’s cash rate on hold at its last meeting. Read more
Economists’ open letters don’t have that great of a track record. In 1981, some 364 economists warned against UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s fiscal policies. Read more
New Zealand is building its way out of its housing crisis. A few years ago, the island nation was synonymous with unaffordability. Read more
You might think that a national organisation awarding research grants would fund the best proposals. You might even think that funding decisions would be made by experts who can identify quality when they see it. Read more
Last week, eleven New Zealand economists issued a public letter advocating more government spending relative to revenue. That means yet more debt. Read more
