Our Chief Economist Dr Eric Crampton joined a panel of economists and commentators, Hilmarie Schulze (BERL), Max Rashbrooke, and VUW Students' Association president Aiden Donaghue, chaired by Infometrics' Brad Olsen, for Victoria University of Wellington's Aotearoa Votes election series, discussing what's working and not working in New Zealand's economy. Read more

ur Chief Economist Eric Crampton joined Sean Plunket on The Platform to discuss National's election-year proposal to split Foodstuffs' Pack'n Save operations from its New World and Foursquare banners. Eric suggested the policy looks like a populist response to cost-of-living polling pressure rather than considered reform, and warned the accompanying cost-benefit analysis rests on a shaky assumption. Read more

Our Chief Economist Eric Crampton joined philosopher Peter Boghossian, in a conversation produced with the Free Speech Union, to discuss immigration policy, housing affordability, and public health taxes. Eric argued New Zealand's points-based immigration system works precisely because it pairs openness with a genuine willingness to deport those who break the rules, pointed to zoning reform as the key driver behind Auckland's improved housing affordability, and made the case against "sin taxes" as a tool for shaping health behaviour. Read more

Our Chief Economist Eric Crampton joined Sean Plunket on The Platform to unpack New Zealand First's policy to bar non-citizens from receiving superannuation. Eric pushed back on the claim that New Zealand is an outlier internationally, noting that superannuation-style pensions in Canada, the UK, and across much of Europe are typically based on residency rather than citizenship, much like New Zealand's own system, which already requires 10 to 20 years of residence depending on birth year. Read more

The four months before an election aren’t great for those who care about good policy. Politicians’ competence at other times is questionable. Read more

Following the government's decision to delay a planned fuel excise increase until 2028, our Chief Economist Eric Crampton joined Sean Plunket on The Platform to explain why funding roads this way is bad policy. Eric traced how New Zealand's road funding has drifted from a disciplined, user-pays model, where road user charges and fuel excise funded maintenance first, with taxpayer money reserved for tightly-vetted new capacity, to one where general taxpayer top-ups have become routine and cost-benefit standards have slipped. Read more