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Wellington (Thursday, 22 August 2024) - A new survey reveals that local councils across New Zealand want more power to make decisions for their communities, rather than having rules set by the central government in Wellington. The New Zealand Initiative, an independent think tank, surveyed New Zealand's mayors, councillors, and council chief executives. Read more

Wellington (Thursday, 22 August 2024) - The New Zealand Initiative welcomes the government's newly released Regional Deals Strategic Framework, seeing it as a positive step towards empowering local communities and fostering economic growth. Nick Clark, Senior Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative, says the framework aligns with many of the recommendations the think tank has been advocating for years. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich appeared on The Platform to talk to Sean Plunket about the recent cut to New Zealand's Official Cash Rate (OCR) by the Reserve Bank. Oliver explains that while the decision was economically justified given the country's economic struggles, he criticises the Reserve Bank's communication, arguing they should have been more transparent about changing their previous stance. Read more

Wellington (Wednesday, 14 August 2024) - Canada’s devolution of health services to First Nations provides a strikingly different way of thinking about localism, according to Dr Eric Crampton, Chief Economist with The New Zealand Initiative. “Canada’s central government has long provided, under treaty, a ‘medicine chest’ of funded services to First Nations peoples. Read more