The New Zealand Initiative

Michael Johnston discusses improving our childrens' reading and writing with Belinda Blick-Duggan and Dr Helen Walls.

Scott Wilson joins Eric Crampton and Matthew Birchall to discuss the petrol excise holiday, sustainability of the land transport funding system, and what better options might be for the funding and financing of New Zealand roads in the future.

There are many pressing problems facing New Zealand, but none more urgent than the decay of our once great education system. Every time a young person leaves school without basic literacy and numeracy, it is a travesty. Oliver Hartwich and Michael Johnston discuss the country's education emergency.

Oliver Hartwich and Dennis Wesselbaum discuss Germany's outlook.

Director of Economics for the Infrastructure Commission, Peter Nunns, talks to Eric Crampton, Chief Economist for The New Zealand Initiative, about his research on the size and scope of local government, as well as funding and financing mechanisms.

A research note released today by The New Zealand Initiative mainly attributes the outbreak of inflation in many economies to central bank mistakes. Oliver Hartwich interviews co-authors Graeme Wheeler, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and Bryce Wilkinson, Senior Research Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative.

Oliver Hartwich interviews historians James Kierstead and Matthew Birchall, two new colleagues at the Initiative.

Dr Eric Crampton and Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, discuss New Zealand's change in legislation for vaping products.

Declining literacy is a contributor to low productivity and New Zealand's students have been let down by the education system.  In this podcast Dr Michael Johnston and Amanda Boyd discuss the Ministry of Education's plan to introduce new NCEA requirements and what this means for students, schools and businesses.

Dr Oliver Hartwich chats with Dr John McDermott, Executive Director of Motu and former Assistant Governor and Chief Economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand about monetary policy in New Zealand, the overhang of monetary stimulus from the last few years, and what will happen if we don't wind this back.

John Law was a gambling, womanising, dualist, murderer and fugitive. He was also an economic visionary. Dr Oliver Hartwich shares with us the story of the father of modern economics.

Democracy Action engaged Professor James Allan to review the He Puapua Report. The result of Professor Allan’s analysis - "The Report of Professor James Allan on He Puapua: The Radical Prescription for Undermining Democracy and the Rule of Law". He joins Dr Oliver Hartwich to discuss Professor Allan's valuable critique of the He Puapua Report and how this impacts our democracy.

Oliver Hartwich talks with Eric Crampton about the Government's rushed policy making for a fuel tax and Road User Charge holiday.

In this week's Initiative podcast, Chief Economist Dr Eric Crampton discusses with statistician Len Cook about changes to the Statistics Act.

Oliver Hartwich discusses the biggest economic issues of the week with Eric Crampton and Bryce Wilkinson: 1) How transitory is inflation? 2) Will we ever see the return of supply-side economics? 3) How competent is government? And 4) What shall we think of Three Waters and are there any alternatives to the policy?

Amanda Boyd talks to Oliver Hartwich about his latest article in Newsroom about the future of European monetary policy and the parallels between Mexico 1982 and Italy 2022.

Oliver Hartwich talks to senior fellow Dr Bryce Wilkinson about the state of the global economy and fears of a major recession.

Oliver Hartwich and Eric Crampton interview Foodstuffs North Island’s CEO Chris Quin and Independent Director Peter Schuyt about the Commerce Commission’s enquiry into the grocery retail sector.

In conversation with Oliver Hartwich, Roger Partridge explains the findings from his new report ‘Reassessing the Regulators – The good, the bad, and the Commerce Commission’.

Chelsy Killick talks with Eric Crampton and Oliver Hartwich on the Government’s Emissions Reductions Plan and what it will mean for transport.

Chelsy Killick talks to Oliver Hartwich about his new column in The Australian and what New Zealand should learn from Germany’s foreign policy mistakes.

The government’s Te Hurihanganui sketches a radically different version of education in New Zealand. But what is it based on? And what would be its implications. Michael Johnston discusses the document in conversation with Oliver Hartwich.

Several large companies recently received hefty government handouts to install new boilers and heaters. This was all under the guise of decarbonisation, using money earmarked for the country’s Covid recovery. Oliver Hartwich speaks to Ben Craven about this blatant corporate welfare and BusinessNZ’s poor response.

Putin’s influence has helped the rise of Marine Le Pen. But his political vehicles are not limited to the Far Right. Oliver Hartwich joins Ben Craven to discuss the recent French election, Putin’s wide-ranging meddling in Europe, and what the West should do to counter foreign influence in domestic politics.

Ben Craven interviews Dr Michael Johnston about his recent presentation at The New Zealand Initiative Members’ Retreat. The pair discuss the disturbing trends of cancel culture and the erosion of academic freedom. They also touch on the troubling mental health issues that are increasingly common among university students.