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A Berkeley professor once said that if you are Minister of the Environment, you are eventually Minister of Everything. The professor’s prediction is set to become real if the government’s Natural and Built Environments Act, or “NBA,” passes in anything like its current form. Read more

When Judith Collins and Julie-Anne Genter argue about expensive Auckland transport projects, I worry that they’re both right about the problems in the other’s preferred alternative. And it points to the need for better ways of deciding on transport investments. Read more

Reports about the Government reconsidering the controversial Auckland cycling bridge are welcome. At projected costs of $785 million, the bridge always looked excessively expensive. Read more

In late May, Budget 2021 revealed that work was underway to develop an unemployment insurance scheme. This would see benefits tied to past employment and wages in some way. Read more

KiwiBuild never made any sense and could not work. The reason was simple. Read more

A 500-gram punnet of grapes: $1.89. A 2 litre bottle of Coca-Cola: also $1.89. 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