All eyes are on Europe as the Russian onslaught continues, Ukraine runs out of ammunition, and America’s upcoming election induces paralysis. Will the continent stand up to the challenge? Read more
Housing policy made significant progress this week. The housing minister, Chris Bishop, addressed the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and released a cabinet paper outlining his plan for solving the housing crisis. Read more
Last year, the Initiative released a report on administrative bloat at New Zealand universities. It showed that the majority of staff at New Zealand universities are non-academics, and that this has been the case for quite some time. Read more
Today I found out that both the Prime Minister and I are self-described “test cricket tragics”. If he can tell me what Neil Wagner’s final bowling average is upon retirement, I’ll believe him. Read more
Two weeks ago, some of the contributors to the substantial Economic Forum run by the University of Waikato unintentionally took me back to the days of New Zealand’s National Development Conferences in 1968 and 1972. They did so by calling on central government to lead and set a clear vision and action plan. Read more
Late last year, I taught my final course for Victoria University of Wellington, guiding 19 young Kiwis around Greece for the Classics field trip. The trip offered plenty of food for thought (not to mention food) for anyone interested (and how could you not be?) in the stupendous artistic and intellectual achievements of the ancient Greeks. Read more
When universities appoint vice-chancellors, they do not just pick a chief executive. They choose their academic leaders, who understand the value of research, teaching, and engagement with the public. Read more
The Housing Theory of Everything has one of those wonderful self-explanatory titles. A good title matters. Read more
Transport historian Dr André Brett has suggested that Wellington be renamed Lowerer Hutt, perhaps to help avoid confusion within the region. Economists Matthew Maltman and Ryan Greenaway-McGrevy have been looking at Lower Hutt’s housing boom. Read more
There was remarkable agreement at the New Zealand Economics Forum last week. Waikato University’s Forum is now an annual feature of the policy calendar, barring Covid interruptions. Read more
With age comes wisdom – or so it is said. Yet exceptions abound. Read more
I’ve always had a focus on New Zealand’s infrastructure issues. Like many other waste enthusiasts, I’ve been concerned about the likely impact of the incoming government’s focus on cost-efficiency on our infrastructure outcomes. Read more
It is often said that New Zealand faces an infrastructure deficit. In an influential paper, economic consultancy Sense Partners estimated the cost of addressing this shortfall as over $200 billion. Read more
Visiting family in England as the new year got off to a chilly start, there was one story that dominated the headlines. A news story that, curiously enough, was prompted by a drama series that we had watched on the telly only a few days before. Read more
Tucker Carlson’s visit to Moscow made headlines in recent weeks. Carlson first did a servile interview with Putin, then produced a series of short videos expressing his admiration for Moscow, its underground and even supermarket shopping carts. Read more