The recent passing of Sir Michael Cullen, the former Minister of Finance, has been widely covered. The Super Fund, KiwiSaver and “Working for Families” are among Sir Michael’s lasting contributions to New Zealand - whether we like them or not. Read more
Dr David Law joins Ben Craven to discuss what we know about the Government’s plans for unemployment insurance, and what such a scheme could look like for New Zealanders. To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
Work is underway to design an unemployment insurance (UI) scheme for New Zealand. Details are limited, but a more complete policy proposal for consultation is expected later this year. Read more
I had a dream. It is November 2021, and I have just tuned in to the Prime Minister’s daily press conference. Read more
On Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking reviews Roger Partridge's latest NZ Herald article "Should the Ministry of Health be responsible for pandemic policy?" Roger highlights various studies that have called for a dedicated agency to manage New Zealand's pandemic response. The NZ Herald article "Should the Ministry of Health be responsible for pandemic policy? Read more
Until a little over a year ago, questioning the Ministry of Health's handling of the pandemic was tantamount to heresy. The country had just celebrated 100 days without a case of Covid in the community. Read more
Is there anything about this worldwide pandemic that we have not talked about sufficiently after one and a half years? Countless articles, essays, and speeches have shed light on nearly every aspect of the situation. Read more
Chittenden is the third most vaccinated county in America’s most vaccinated state: Vermont. As of late last week, 87.3% of Chittenden residents over the age of twelve had been vaccinated –close to New Zealand’s unofficial 90% target. Read more
My European friends and family have all had Covid shots over the past few months. They proudly showed me their fancy vaccination certificates (with QR codes) over Zoom as if to rub it in. Read more
Politics is hard when every available option is terrible. Get ready for a year of awful choices. Read more
House prices have risen to all-time highs. According to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, prices have risen by 30.6 percent in the last year. Read more
This week the price of a New Zealand Unit of carbon credit passed $50 for the first time. Ben Craven speaks to Matt Burgess about why this happened, and what the increase in price will mean for consumers, emitters, and New Zealand’s environmental commitments. Read more
Individualised Funding, or IF, is a funding model for disability support. IF gives money directly to individuals so they can hire their own support staff. Read more
Mike Hosking reads out Roger Partridges' opinion piece (published in the NZ Herald) about why the Government can't drive covid strategy by looking backwards. Roger points out that looking back at what worked on the early part of the Covid journey may not help with what is in front of us now and looking backwards is a big part of New Zealand's current predicament. Read more
Unless you're reversing, the rear-view mirror won't help you navigate the conditions in front of you. Instead, you must look ahead. Read more