We are all familiar with nightmares. They can be terrifying. Read more
A penny saved is a penny earned. This should be the motto of regulatory reform. Read more
In this age of ‘post-truth politics’ (which, by the way, must be one of the greatest tautologies of all time) I guess all truths can be relative. North Korea is magnificent because Gareth Morgan told us so. Read more
Our Head of Research, Dr Eric Crampton, talks to Newstalk ZB about our latest report, Signal Loss: what we know about school performance. Read more
The interest-free student loan scheme is simply not fit for purpose. This report finds that there is no compelling public policy case for universal subsidised student loans. Read more
Wellington (19 August 2016): The New Zealand Initiative has called the Productivity Commission’s latest draft report a timely reminder that system-wide change is needed to fix the country’s poorly functioning planning system. “Over the past 25 years it has become increasingly apparent that our planning system is not fit for purpose, the most obvious sign being the sharp increase in house prices in our fastest growing cities,” said Research Fellow Jason Krupp. Read more
The train-wreck was utterly predictable but we should still look back to see how it happened, how bad it was, and how we can keep it from happening again. This week, The New Zealand Initiative released its decade-on retrospective look at the government’s interest-free student loan policy. Read more
As you read this, our teachers’ unions are preparing for war. For the first time in history they are planning meetings of 60,000 teachers, nationwide, during school hours. Read more
A lot of people have done well out of the past decade of interest-free student loans. But that hardly means the policy is what is right for the country. Read more
The world premiere of a new film on New Zealand’s post 1984 economic reforms will screen in the Academy Cinema (below the Auckland Public Library) on Thursday 25 August at 6pm. This film was made by Americans for an international audience. Read more
Just over a decade ago, the government stopped charging interest on student loans. Before 2006, student loan debt drew interest after the borrower left school. Read more
Wellington (18 August 2016): New Zealand’s interest-free student loan scheme has not achieved its policy objectives and fails to help students from poorer backgrounds access tertiary education, according to the latest report from The New Zealand Initiative. Launched today, the report ‘Decade of Debt: The cost of interest-free student loans’, found the scheme has had little influence on improving equitable access to higher education. Read more
Jason Wells on NBR Radio with John Stewart discusses Initiative's charities report. Read more
Wellington (12 August 2016): The New Zealand Initiative today welcomed Minister Maggie Barry’s Heritage Earthquake Upgrade Incentive Programme (EQUIP). “Owners of heritage buildings are too often caught in an invidious position,” commented The Initiative’s Head of Research, Dr Eric Crampton. Read more
If there is one country Prime Minister John Key seems to be as fond of as New Zealand, it is Switzerland. He has talked about making this “the Switzerland of the South Pacific,” although admittedly that was before the release of the Panama Papers. Read more