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The Climate Change Commission believes the ETS is not enough. But not enough for what? Read more
If you're going to read the Commerce Commission's market study on supermarkets in New Zealand, I'd suggest starting with the first half of Chapter 6 which explains the difficulties facing any potential new entrant. As far as I'm concerned, evidence on margins and such really don't mean much unless there are substantial restrictions against new entry. Read more
About a year ago, North American friends started looking to New Zealand as an early glimpse of their own potential post-Covid world. They were still stuck in lockdowns; we had emerged from ours. Read more
Two cars pull up to a traffic light. One is a farmer in his trusty ute. Read more
Last week's protests by farmers show it is only a matter of time until the Government's punitive approach on emissions will fail. With each new policy the Government is burning political capital at a faster rate than it is cutting emissions. Read more
When opposition parties produce policy documents, they can be overly simplistic and populist. They can be unrealistic because they do not have to be implemented straight away. Read more
In my book, governments that do not publish a competent cost-benefit assessment justifying their spending and regulatory proposals do not take community wellbeing seriously.(Only if the wellbeing benefits plausibly exceed the costs is the policy likely to benefit the public.) The absence of such an assessment is now common. It suggests that a measure is being imposed on the public for partisan or elitist, paternalistic reasons. Read more
Matt Burgess explains what happens when the ETS reaches its price cap. If you would like to listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
In 1870, British Prime Minister William Gladstone up-ended Britain’s civil service. Instead of officials being appointed by politicians following changes of government, Gladstone’s reforms introduced a permanent, politically independent public service. Read more
When the government set a binding cap on New Zealand’s net emissions through the Emissions Trading Scheme, it also set a second cap – on prices. The hope was that that second cap would not really be needed, but it looks like it might become relevant rather sooner than anyone expected. Read more