For decades after World War II, Austria was a model of political stability to the point of boredom. The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) dominated the political landscape. Read more
In this episode, Michael talks to James about his recent report about the state of academic freedom in New Zealand universities, highlighting concerns about censorship, institutional bias, and self-censorship among academics. Their conversation explores the causes of these issues, including commercialisation of universities and the influence of progressive politics, and proposes recommendations such as new legislation, annual audits, and better training for administrators to protect and strengthen academic freedom. Read more
Max Rashbrooke's recent research note, "High earner tax rates: New Zealand in context," makes a case that rich people in New Zealand pay less tax than they would on the same income in some of the highest-taxed countries in the world. But is this really the case? Read more
The Government has long promised an inquiry into banking competition. With the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee (FEC) about to begin its work, that time has finally come. Read more
Last Friday the government made a heartening announcement that its phase 3 reforms to the Resource Management Act will make property rights a ‘guiding’ principle. The RMA has failed in good part because of two fundamental flaws from a property right perspective: first, it allowed all and sundry to object with impunity to a changed land use; second, it denied compensation for the lost value from a successful objection. Read more
There should be a German word for it: that moment when one realises a dessert one has always associated with one country actually belongs to several countries – or perhaps, to none at all. As a German who has lived in both Australia and New Zealand, I have often found myself caught in the crossfire of the great Pavlova debate. Read more
Policies and regulations, most of the time, are a bit of a mess. Even if policies made sense when first conceived, sludge accumulates over time. Read more
1.1 This submission in response to the Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC) Inquiry into Banking Competition (the Inquiry)1 is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. In combination, our members employ more than 150,000 people. Read more
When law students first learn contract law, they learn that entering into a contract can happen in all sorts of ways. Only in the rarest of cases is a contract signed by both parties. Read more
Good news! As of 11 September, it has been legal to advertise Jynneos, the monkeypox vaccine, to communities at risk for monkeypox. Read more
A lecture from US broadcaster and historian Alexander Heffner, the host of The Open Mind on PBS, held at the Parliament on 20 September 2024. Watch below. Read more
Picture a rustic jetty on the shores of serene Lake Tarawera. Hanging off the jetty is a small swim ladder. Read more
In this episode, Oliver talks to special guest US broadcaster and historian Alexander Heffner, the host of The Open Mind on PBS. They talk about the current state of American politics and media, focusing on the 2024 presidential election and the decline of intellectual discourse in public debate. Read more
Government sometimes cannot stop itself from providing bailouts when risk-taking goes wrong. This kind of ‘free’ insurance policy leads to no end of bad outcomes. Read more
The government is determined to shake up local government. It wants councils to get back to basics on core services and efficiency. Read more