Imagine that your family spent twice as much as it earned last month. Around the kitchen table the mood would be grim and the bank’s patience likely wearing thin. Read more

New research finds that incomes per capita in Italy could be 5% higher if the government wrote better laws. Many laws are confusing and hard to understand. Read more

Last week, Donald Trump slapped a 15% tariff on New Zealand exports. An annual nine billion dollars of our goods will now face higher barriers entering the US market. Read more

The government’s Overseas Investment (Amendment) Bill is more good than bad. It is more welcoming of incoming overseas investment. Read more

News this week of how hard it was for some Gen Z New Zealanders to find paid work made grim reading. They were stories of young, qualified people handing out dozens of CVs, applying for hundreds of jobs, and receiving little more than silence in return. Read more

This week, Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee is hearing oral submissions on the government’s Regulatory Standards Bill. I support the Bill, most submitters oppose it. Read more

How should a select committee respond to a deluge of submissions? Does it matter if many submissions are part of a campaign playing on whipped up fears? Read more

Minister Chris Bishop has swung his ministerial wrecking ball at Wellington. He will strip the Gordon Wilson Flats of its heritage protection. Read more

Governments have many roles, but some are of fundamental importance. A vital role is to secure citizens in their persons and possessions. Read more

On 12 May, President Donald Trump's government spending and revenue bill was published. With characteristic panache, the President calls it his “Big Beautiful Bill”. Read more