A story worth telling
It always astounds me when people claim they have no interest in economics. How could anyone be so nonchalant about the ways in which economic forces influence their daily lives? Read more
23 January, 2015
The euro's path to junk status
Ending the Swiss franc’s peg to the euro surprised market participants, analysts and commentators alike, including this writer. Unlike the introduction of the euro peg in 2011, which was flagged beforehand, the end of the measure was prepared in secret. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich
22 January, 2015
Media release: RMA changes welcome, but problem bigger than housing
Wellington (22 January 2015): The New Zealand Initiative has welcomed the overhaul of the Resource Management Act, in particular the focus on housing affordability and the restoration of property rights, but is still concerned about the ambiguity surrounding Section 5. The latest overhaul of the legislation was announced yesterday by the Hon Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Building and Housing, citing economic research that indicated the RMA had cost the country 40,000 homes and added $30 billion in costs. Read more
22 January, 2015
Dr Eric Crampton on Newstalk ZB: Uber vs. Police
Eric Crampton talks to Newstalk ZB's Michael Sergel about private vehicle hire app Uber lodging an IPCA complaint over drivers being pulled over by Police.
PLAY AUDIO Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
20 January, 2015
Rose Patterson: Govt silent on failing charter school
The review of troubled Whangaruru facility should be released to help the rest, writes Rose Patterson. One of New Zealand's first charter schools is failing, abysmally, and the Ministry of Education must stop dodging questions. Read more
20 January, 2015
Dr Eric Crampton on Radio Live - Is it time to halt a certain number of immigrants into NZ?
Duncan Garner speaks with Eric Crampton, Head of Research at New Zealand Initiative, on the growing number of immigrants coming into New Zealand, especially in Auckland. Is it time to cap the amount of immigrants coming into our country? Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
16 January, 2015
Truth behind that holiday road toll
People have a bad habit of wanting to tell stories about random low-probability events. Whether it's a few dog attacks that happened in the same couple of weeks, or a blip in youth drinking rates, people want to know why. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
16 January, 2015
Who's afraid of eurozone deflation?
Usually, we call things stable when they do not change and unstable if they do. Apparently this is not the case in monetary policy. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich
15 January, 2015
Commentator overly sour on NZ's outlook
If you have been scanning the press over the past week or so you may have come across an opinion piece by Michael Pascoe, prophesying doom for the New Zealand dairy industry and the Kiwi economy in general. Pascoe has taken a look at the similarity between iron ore and dairy prices since 2013 - both have more or less halved in value over the period - and concluded that there is a hard landing in store for New Zealand. Read more
14 January, 2015
Weighing the costs of health and safety
We should not pay through the roof for small safety benefits, argues Bryce Wilkinson How would you react to being told that government regulations have added 50 percent to the cost of replacing a tin roof on a house? I ask because a long-standing professional builder told me in a chance encounter shortly before Christmas that scaffolding requirements under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 mean that a small re-roofing job that would have otherwise cost $4,000 may now cost $6,000. Read more
Dr Bryce Wilkinson ONZM
12 January, 2015
Dr Oliver Hartwich in Radio NZ - Outspoken - Households Better Off?
Estimates have the economy growing above the trend rate compared to other developed nations, but other measures show the benefits of growth aren’t filtering through to all. Patrick O’Meara looks at whether New Zealand's household really are better off. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich
8 January, 2015
Merkel's U-turn on Greece reveals Germany's real motivation
In my last column of 2014, I wrote that European leaders usually pick the least appealing policy option and still manage to make it worse (A Greek olive branch for Steve Keen, 18 December). Maybe that was a premature assessment. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich
8 January, 2015
Media release: Alcohol advertising bans need stronger evidence
Wellington (18 December 2014): The New Zealand Initiative’s Head of Research, Dr Eric Crampton, today urged Cabinet to look to the evidence before banning alcohol advertising and sponsorship. The Ministerial Forum on Advertising and Sponsorship this week recommended reasonably comprehensive bans on alcohol advertising and sponsorship. Read more
18 December, 2014
The ABC of Economic Literacy
In early 2014, there had been strong hints in the media that the next general election was likely to take place in September and so the team of The New Zealand Initiative was looking forward (well, sort of) to a very long, dragged out election campaign. Well, we decided to counter the political noise of the upcoming election campaign with our own campaign: The Campaign for Economic Literacy. Read more
14 December, 2014
Grinching
Oh, the perils of the silly season. If your office is typical, you’re in a mad dash trying to finish everything that needs to be done before Christmas. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
12 December, 2014