After six years of a Labour-led Government, the newly sworn-in Government’s policies were always going to shock its opponents. Despite the centre-left and the centre-right parties all pitching their policies to the median voter, profound philosophical differences divide them. Read more

Real work begins for the new Government Whatever way you look at it, 2023 has been a long slog for the centre-right parties now trying to seal a coalition deal. The election campaign was unusually long. Read more

Last year, respect for the Commerce Commission sank to a new low. The New Zealand Initiative’s 2022 report, Reassessing the Regulators: The Good, the Bad and the Commerce Commission, revealed the Commission had lost the respect of the businesses it is tasked with regulating. Read more

Retirement spending and the size of the public service as two obvious areas for expenditure cuts. Significant savings are available from the reform of retirement income policy. Read more

The debate about inequality is one of the most impassioned in contemporary politics. It touches on core beliefs about justice, rights and the ideal structure of society. Read more

Earlier in the year, this column argued for a public service reset. It was prompted partly by the ballooning size of public sector headcount. Read more

“God’s own country” was how our longest-serving Prime Minister, Richard “King Dick” Seddon described New Zealand. The moniker he popularised for his country also proved enduring – even if by the late 20th century, it had become abbreviated to “Godzone.” Yet, as the 2023 general election approaches, New Zealand feels less blessed than it has in the past. Read more

Election years rarely see the best economic policy ideas. It is easy enough to understand why. Read more

New Zealand prides itself on being an open trading nation. When it comes to trade in goods and services this claim is certainly true. Read more

The early decades of the 21st century may be remembered as the great age of misinformation. From false assertions about the size of the 45th President’s inauguration crowd to science-free claims about nano-technology, 5G cell phone towers and COVID-19, fake news abounds. Read more

According to American folklore, Irish gold miners were notorious for striking it lucky. Yet, historian Edward O’Donnell claims the phrase ‘The luck of the Irish’ comes with a hint of derision. Read more

Seeking Ireland’s secrets Few countries feel so similar as New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland. We are both island nations with much larger neighbours. Read more

When it comes to pointlessness, the Companies (Directors Duties) Amendment Bill takes some beating. When drawn from the ballot, the Bill proposed amending section 131 of the Companies Act 1993 dealing with the duty of directors to act in the best interests of the company. Read more