Prescription for Prosperity 2026: Briefing to the Incoming Government
This is The New Zealand Initiative’s 2026 Prescription for Prosperity. Since 2017, the Initiative has prepared a briefing for the incoming government. Read more
New Zealand’s isolated geography should not fool us. In our interconnected world, no country is an island – at least metaphorically.
What happens in other places affects New Zealand: culturally, politically and economically.
A greater awareness of global affairs helps us make better choices for the future of our country. By looking overseas we can assess whether particular policies have proven beneficial or detrimental. That knowledge can be extremely helpful when determining whether policies should be introduced in New Zealand. It enables us to learn from the successes and failures of others. And it allows us to engage with our international peers on areas of mutual and strategic interest.
The New Zealand Initiative research follows international affairs, assesses their significance for New Zealand, and comments on them to help define the nation’s place in the global space.
Featured Publication
This is The New Zealand Initiative’s 2026 Prescription for Prosperity. Since 2017, the Initiative has prepared a briefing for the incoming government. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative today released a research note highlighting the potential pitfalls of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its implications for New Zealand's foreign policy independence and infrastructure development. In the report, Belt and Road Initiative - Implications for New Zealand, authors Nick Clark and Dr Oliver Hartwich explore the BRI's origins, objectives, and recent developments. Read more
We are pleased to announce the release of our groundbreaking report, Irish Secrets - An Irish lesson in prosperity. Written by Dr Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative, and featuring a foreword by Fraser Whineray, head of the delegation to Ireland, this report summarises what New Zealand can learn from Ireland. Read more
A research note released today by The New Zealand Initiative mainly attributes the outbreak of inflation in many economies to central bank mistakes. Co-authored by Graeme Wheeler, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and Bryce Wilkinson, Senior Research Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative, the paper argues that central banks overall: were too confident about their monetary policy framework; were too confident about their models; were too confident they could control output and employment; lost their focus on price stability and took on too many mandates; faced conflicts in some cases with conflicting ‘dual mandate’ objectives; and were distracted by extraneous political objectives, such as climate change. Read more
The year 2020 was one none of us will forget in a hurry. Lives were put on hold. Read more
Wellington (Wednesday, 27 May 2026) – New Zealand can be a much more prosperous country, and the policy choices needed to get us there are well within reach, says The New Zealand Initiative’s Executive Director, Dr Oliver Hartwich. The Initiative today released Prescription for Prosperity 2026, its fourth briefing to an incoming government. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about the looming fuel crisis, explaining that New Zealand's roughly nine-week oil supply chain from the Middle East means the real impact of the current war will be felt in the coming weeks as existing supplies run out. Dr Hartwich warned that even if peace were achieved quickly, damaged infrastructure and disrupted shipping logistics would take months to restore, leaving New Zealand facing a prolonged period of fuel uncertainty. Read more
A few years ago, I found an old calendar from 1979 in a box of things from my childhood. It was filled with the scribblings of a four-year-old. Read more
Peter Smith asks a fair question. In Trump and the Paradox of American Power, I wrote that I had long favoured taking out Iran’s nuclear facilities – but not like this. Read more
Dr Marian Tupy is the editor of HumanProgress.org, the world's most comprehensive database tracking improvements in human wellbeing, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, and co-author of the acclaimed book Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet. A leading voice on human progress, globalisation, and economic development, Marian's work does something rare: it challenges the pessimistic narratives we hear every day — not with opinion, but with hard evidence. Read more