It’s fair to say that economists like competition. It’s also fair to say that, when politicians start talking about competition, economists ought to get a little bit nervous. Read more
“There’s always a reason to say no, but if we keep saying no, we’ll keep going nowhere.” With these words in his ‘State of the Nation’ speech last week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon diagnosed a critical barrier to New Zealand’s economic growth: a culture of negativity and excessive caution. Only a few days later, his government provided the perfect test case for Luxon’s diagnosis. Read more
If you’re reading this in print with your morning coffee, you’re probably not among the terminally online. For those who are among the terminally online, always hooked into what’s going on on Twitter and elsewhere, there’s probably no need to explain the vibes, or the shift in vibes. Read more
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation speech yesterday presents a clear shift towards economic growth. While familiar aspirational rhetoric featured prominently, his initiatives deserve support. Read more
How should politicians respond if public hospitals decided to stop treating injuries and illnesses? A version of this scenario is playing out in higher education across the English-speaking world. Read more
New Zealand, we love you. We love you Aussies. Read more
Misinformation about the pending Regulatory Standards Bill is rife. Currently, there is no Bill, only a departmental discussion document. Read more
Democracy rarely dies suddenly. It often erodes slowly as previously unthinkable developments become normalised, one bit at a time. Read more
When Newsroom’s editor Jonathan Milne invited me to write one of two special pieces for the summer break, I faced quite the conundrum. My options were to review a work of non-fiction or write a column about hope and optimism for 2025. Read more
David Harvey’s thoughtful critique in Law News of my report for The New Zealand Initiative, Who Makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court,[i] highlights the importance of addressing judicial overreach.[ii] The retired District Court judge agrees with the report’s conclusions that recent Supreme Court decisions raise legitimate concerns. Read more
We can only hope that New Zealand’s politicians had a good break over the summer because 2025 promises to be a hell of a ride. If the government thought last year was tough, this year will be even more demanding. Read more
Something is seriously wrong with New Zealand’s public wealth. We rank near the top globally for per-capita resources and assets - ahead of most OECD nations. Read more
If one word could sum up 2024, “sobering” might be it. This week’s final economic data for the year – from Treasury’s half-year update to yesterday’s GDP numbers – reads like the opposite of a Christmas wish list. Read more
Academic freedom is a hot topic at the moment. The coalition agreement required universities to have academic freedom policies to receive government funding. Read more
The New Zealand Treasury's latest forecasts and the Government's Budget Policy Statement (BPS) are disquieting. Public debt management looks lax and possibly illegal, government spending entrenches excess rather than tackles it, and productivity growth measures are welcome but piecemeal. Read more