The vaccination phase of the Covid pandemic raises some tricky conflicts. The Government is reluctant to make vaccinations compulsory. Read more
Who thinks that the current Labour government should seek to emulate the “great traditions” of the 1935 Labour government? At least one person thinks it should, and his opinion counts. Read more
The process of decision-making is complex. Furthermore, its significance transcends both the private and public sectors, and is crucial not just in politics. Read more
In 2016, Australia agreed to purchase 12 conventionally powered Attack Class submarines from France. The deal cost AU$50 billion. Read more
Mike Hosking reviews and reads out part of Bryce Wilkinson's article (published in the NZ Herald) "How past illusions and future follies mar Grant Robertson's economic strategy." Hosking calls it today's "must read". In the article on his new report "Illusions of History: How misunderstanding the past jeopardises our future", Bryce warns that the government's economic policy settings risk a repeat of past mistakes. Read more
In his Budget speech last year, Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, outlined the government’s policy aspirations. He saw Labour as being able to take decisions that “will define the lives and livelihoods of many people for years to come”. Read more
Recalling ambassadors from one’s allies is a special kind of diplomatic fireworks. Following the announcement of the new AUKUS defence alliance with Britain, France did just that to the US and Australia. Read more
Wellington (Tuesday, 21 September 2021) – The 2.8 percent jump in GDP in the June quarter 2021 does not mean that the government’s economic strategy is sound. In fact, it is dangerous wishful thinking based on a false reading of history, according to a new research report from The New Zealand Initiative. Read more
Closing his 2020 Budget speech, Finance Minister Grant Robertson looked back to the First and Fourth Labour governments for lessons on how to tackle New Zealand’s current economic challenges. His first history lesson was that the way forward today lay in the “great traditions of the First Labour Government” (1935–49) that “rebuilt New Zealand after the Great Depression” under Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage. Read more
Two years ago, Paul Romer warned the incoming President of the World Bank that the Bank should outsource its research function because “diplomacy and science cannot both thrive under the same roof.” The Bank depends on good relations with member countries. Romer had been World Bank Chief Economist from 2015 through his early 2018 departure, winning the Nobel Prize in Economics later in 2018. Read more
Reading the great philosophers is intimidating: Long sentences, difficult language. Now there is hope for us mortals. Read more
Arriving into the UK from New Zealand, the fear of entering a “Covid world” has proven unfounded. In England, more than 90% of adults have Covid antibodies either from vaccination or having had Covid-19. Read more
Nobody knows what vaccination rate would allow restrictions to ease safely. But rates need to rise substantially. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative supports the government’s commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement and to achieve net zero emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases from 2050. We consider the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (“ETS”) is among the world’s leading cap-and-trade systems for reducing greenhouse gases. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative supports the government’s emissions targets, including commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement and to net zero emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases from 2050. We consider the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (“ETS”) is among the world’s leading cap-and-trade systems for reducing greenhouse gases. Read more