FDP success was no accident
In last week’s Insights, Oliver Hartwich argued that ACT can learn little from Germany’s FDP. As ACT’s Leader, I am grateful for the right to reply. Read more
9 March, 2018
Towards better behaviour
Sir Michael Cullen wants to use the tax system to help us all behave better. We have a few ideas to help build upon this noble pursuit. Read more
9 March, 2018
Stop predicting the future (and go back to work)
If there is one lesson from our species’ past, it is that we are not very good at thinking about the future. This is irrespective of our personal inclination toward optimism or pessimism. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich
9 March, 2018
Peter Costello about the keys to economic success
Mike Hosking interviews Hon Peter Costello AC, our keynote speaker for the Retreat dinner on Thursday 8 March. They discuss the state of Australian politics, the relation between New Zealand and Australia and the keys to economic success for a country. Read more
8 March, 2018
Spoiled by Choice on Breakfast
Research Fellow Briar Lipson discusses on TVNZ's Breakfast our new education report, Spoiled by Choice: How NCEA hampers education, and what it needs to succeed. The report analyses the history and evolution of NCEA; and its impact on students, teachers and end-users. Read more
Briar Lipson
5 March, 2018
Report: NCEA failing too many students
Kathryn Ryan speaks with Briar Lipson about her new education report, Spoiled by Choice. The report is calling for a reform of NCEA because it is failing too many students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Read more
Briar Lipson
5 March, 2018
Flying blind
Parliament deserves better advice about the policies it is being asked to consider. Imagine that you and your partner agreed that you would buy a house together after the wedding – and you both had your eyes on a particular property. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
5 March, 2018
Spoiled by Choice: How NCEA hampers education, and what it needs to succeed
Education is about learning. However, as assessment expert Alison Wolf explains: …formal education is also, and intrinsically, about selection and certification… ~ Wolf, A. Read more
Briar Lipson
4 March, 2018
Media release: NCEA failing disadvantaged students
Wellington (4 March 2018): The New Zealand Initiative’s newest report Spoiled by Choice analyses the history and evolution of NCEA; and its impact on students, teachers and end-users. 15 years of sustained decline in our students’ performance in PISA assessments testifies to NCEA’s negative unintended consequences. Read more
4 March, 2018
"NCEA is failing disadvantaged students"
“NCEA might be good for students’ self-esteem, but it is failing too many - particularly disadvantaged - students and needs to be reformed,” says our new report Spoiled by Choice. The report is one of the headlines of the news bulletins on Newstalk ZB. Read more
Briar Lipson
4 March, 2018
Why a sugar tax won't reduce obesity
37 Documents released under the OIA reveal a Ministry of Health deeply skeptical about sugar taxes. The internal advice within the Ministry highlighted the same problems with sugar taxes as we mentioned in our 2016 report The Health of the State. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
2 March, 2018
Accidental success is not a strategy
The excitement around the new Labour-NZ First-Green Government and National’s leadership change makes it easy to forget there is a fifth party in Parliament, too. But at last we learnt earlier this week how ACT wants to revive its fortunes. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich
2 March, 2018
All good Jedi
Now is the time for all good Jedi to come to the aid of their country. In the classic Cold War film, Dr Strangelove reminded us that it is pointless for a country to have a doomsday device if it is kept secret. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
2 March, 2018
A dual education
We all want a New Zealand where citizens can enjoy a healthy and prosperous life. But, there is still a long way to go. Read more
2 March, 2018
Reserve Bank’s governance deserves scrutiny
If monetary policy is the Reserve Bank’s smash hit, its prudential regulation of financial markets is its B-side track. Yet the bank’s role as prudential regulator deserves scrutiny. Read more
Roger Partridge
2 March, 2018