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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
All citizens and businesses interact with local government on a regular basis, either through the services they consume or the infrastructure they use. These authorities build and maintain local roads, provide potable and waste water infrastructure, pick up rubbish, and act as agents for resource use and the environment. Read more
Last week the cat was set amongst the pigeons after the Herald ran a story saying that Auckland Council was trying to raise the urban density limits in the green leafy suburbs that surround the inner city without public consultation. Squawks of alarm were immediately heard from Auckland 2040, a community group dedicated to protecting the character of the city’s residential neighbourhoods. Read more
There is a great deal of debate on the causes and solutions of the housing crisis but little disagreement that the problems we face are enormous: The number of new homes consented dropped from a record 39,800 in 1973 to a little over 24,700 last year. Over the same period, New Zealand's population grew by 50 per cent. Read more
