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The government this week extended the COVID-19 (coronavirus) travel ban barring foreign nationals from arriving in New Zealand from mainland China and suggesting self-quarantine for Kiwis returning. The continued ban feels like the right decision for a highly contagious disease with mortality rates that appear to be around twenty times higher than the seasonal flu. Read more

In a prior academic life, I taught public choice – the economic analysis of political decision-making. During the week of lessons on the economics of bureaucracy, the students went through the consequences of the bureaus holding an information advantage over their ministerial masters. Read more

It is about time Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway investigates one of the more egregious employment rorts out there. An employer – and not an obscure one – pays far less than the minimum wage. Read more

Counting by the number of times the phrases “gig economy” and “future of work” are mentioned by the news media, you could be forgiven for thinking full-time employment was a thing of the past. Yet last year the Productivity Commission reported the so-called gig economy was both small and showed no signs of rapid growth, either in New Zealand or in the 30 other countries for which data was available. Read more

Problem identification is the first step toward good public policy development. Is there a concern that needs solving? Read more

Last week, Transport Minister Phil Twyford shot down Wellington Council's request to levy a congestion charge. Congestion charging would help ease traffic, and not just in Wellington. Read more

After 12 years of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), most Kiwi primary schools continue to ignore its main message: they do not weave ‘Key Competencies’ into what or how they teach. The Education Review Office (ERO) confirmed this in recent research. Read more