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It would take a world champion wowser to declare last weekend’s CubaDupa festival anything but an outstanding success, replete with two days of street food, live music, street artists, and throngs of happy attendees. If such a po-faced complaint were to be made it would probably focus on the number of drunk people wandering the streets late at night, and the menace they represent (noise, fights, minor crime and so on). Read more
Recently a group of business people gathered to discuss what exactly is stopping Wellington from reaching its full economic potential (whatever that means) as part of a Trans-Tasman Business Circle event. As you would expect from a panel discussion featuring a bank economist, a major Wellington developer, and the newly appointed head of the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA), the conversation rested heavily on modern MBA speak. Read more
If you have been living under a rock, you may not have realised there is a war going on in Auckland. There are no guns and bombs involved (at least not yet) but, based on the headlines, the tensions seem to be equivalent to those of a real conflict. Read more
Last week, the Salvation Army released its State of the Nation Report. And, contrary to the usual story, the Salvation Army’s report generally paints a picture of improving outcomes. Read more
Is there anything in the world duller than cricket?* Cricket is one of those sports that is so painfully slow, that commentators have nothing to do but talk about the crowd. Or the weather. Read more
There is nothing wrong with being an old grump. With a lifetime of disappointments to reflect on, old grumps have earned the right to grouse about how things used to be back in their day. Read more
Wellington (27 January 2016): Public policy think tank The New Zealand Initiative commends Prime Minister John Key’s statements on housing in his State of the Nation speech delivered today. Dr Oliver Hartwich, executive director of the Initiative said that Key’s stance on Auckland housing is promising, and looks to relieve some of the pressures of the ongoing housing crisis. Read more
Wellington (9 December 2015): The New Zealand Initiative has welcomed the Productivity Commission’s newest enquiry into what a fit-for-purpose urban planning system would look like. Executive Director of the Initiative, Dr Oliver Hartwich, noted that the regulations governing planning are highly fragmented and complex in New Zealand, adding years or decades to major infrastructure projects, and delaying any economic upside that these investments may produce. Read more
Spend any time working in local government and you will soon stumble across the long-running funding fight between New Zealand’s two tiers of government. In the white trunks is central government, frustrated by the inability to make progress on projects of national significance due to what it perceives to be local self-interest, particularly when it comes to infrastructure. Read more
Wellington (2 December 2015): New Zealand urgently needs to find ways to incentivise local authorities to be more open to economic growth if local government is to meet the looming infrastructure and aging population challenges. This is according to The Local Formula: Myths, Facts & Challenges, the latest report from public policy think tank The New Zealand Initiative, written by Research Fellow Jason Krupp and Senior Fellow Dr Bryce Wilkinson. Read more