MEDIA

On the same day the police watchdog's report into the force's handling of last year's protest and three-week occupation of parliament is being released, a think tank's report into the government's Covid-19 response has found it overly political, lacking adaptability and agility, and needing more transparency. The study called Lifting the Lid: A Critical Analysis of the Covid-19 Pandemic Management in New Zealand and it has been published by The New Zealand Initiative, a pro-free-market think tank. Read more

A critical analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic management in New Zealand A pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) continues both worldwide and in New Zealand. Although estimates are that half the New Zealand population have been infected, more likely almost every citizen has come into contact with the virus in some way. Read more

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Mike Hosking discusses Roger Partridge's Sunday Star Times column about Environment Minister David Parker’s Resource Management Act reforms and the three extraordinary interventions during March that point to the reform’s inevitable demise. Read more

The NZ Initiative are urging for the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation bill to be amended with an immediate post-implementation review of the legislation. In the consultation process the Government and administration committee left less than 24 hours for submitters to respond to the bill, therefore providing no opportunity for deliberation. Read more

Kiwis on the minimum wage will have an extra $1.50 an hour in the pocket from tomorrow. The increase, which comes in from April 1st, brings the wage to $22.70 an hour. Read more

Mike Hosking discusses the Initiative's media release about the consultation process for the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill that gave submitters less than 24 hours to respond, a timeframe that Executive Director Dr Oliver Hartwich has described as “outrageous.”

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Public servants jumping roles may have melted the Government's pay freeze. The policy that was introduced for high-paid public servants during the Covid-19 pandemic has now ended. Read more

Wellington (Wednesday, 29 March 2023) – The New Zealand Initiative has damned the consultation process for the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill. It urges that the Bill be amended to force rigorous post-enactment scrutiny, with the legislation repealed by 30 September if that scrutiny does not take place. Read more

The National Party wants to see teachers get back to the basics with a bigger focus on reading, writing and maths. The party introduced its policy yesterday, including a standardised assessment of student progress for primary students. Read more

A recent report revealed that a third of 15-year-olds cannot read at a basic adult standard. Numeracy rates are similarly worrying, with many students battling to comprehend basic mathematics. Read more

More families could receive a $72.50 a week tax credit, as part of a massive and fundamental change to the system, after a review of the $3 billion Working for Families tax credit system that ended last year. A review of the scheme, which currently supports just under 350,000 families with children, is before Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni, and has found serious design issues in the way some of the tax credits are applied. Read more

Heather du Plessis-Allan on Newstalk ZB asks Finance Minister Grant Robertson about his thoughts on the points raised in Dr Bryce Wilkinson's latest report, Made by Government: New Zealand's Monetary Policy Mess.

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Wellington (Thursday, 16 March 2023) – A new report by The New Zealand Initiative examines the mess the Government/Minister of Finance and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) have made of monetary policy. Inflation is once more a real problem, property prices have whiplashed and taxpayers have lost $9 billion. Read more