What happens when good governance becomes the enemy
Something odd is happening in New Zealand. The government wants to pass a law that would require ministers to explain their regulatory decisions. Read more
Something odd is happening in New Zealand. The government wants to pass a law that would require ministers to explain their regulatory decisions. Read more
Imagine that you owned a vacant piece of land. You were trying to decide whether to put solar panels on it to generate electricity or to plant trees on it to sequester carbon and earn carbon credits. Read more
There are already too many reasons for international supermarket chains to decide our small set of islands far from everywhere are not worth bothering about. Adding one more seems bad if government has prioritised retail grocery competition. Read more
At midnight last night, submissions closed on the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 2). The bill would introduce new measures to protect academic freedom, which is defined in the Education and Training Act as ‘the freedom of academic staff and students, within the law, to question and test received wisdom, to put forward new ideas, and to state controversial or unpopular opinions.’ These measures are sorely needed. Read more
Few ideas haunt economic debate as relentlessly as “trickle-down.” Perhaps it’s the appeal of attacking something that no one has ever argued. The theory supposedly claims that making the rich richer benefits everyone as wealth “trickles down.” It sounds plausible and feels unfair – making it the perfect villain. Read more
1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 This submission on the Public Works (Critical Infrastructure) Amendment Bill[1] is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. Read more
In this episode, James talks to Professor Ian Pace from City, Saint George's University of London about academic freedom, discussing the challenges facing universities, including political pressures, institutional neutrality, and the need for legislation to protect free speech and critical inquiry in academic settings. The conversation explores recent developments in academic freedom legislation in the UK and New Zealand, examining how universities are navigating complex issues of free speech, institutional policies, and the potential risks of political conformity in higher education. Read more
What happens when elected officials cannot understand the issues well enough to make good decisions? Local councillors often receive hundreds of pages of complex reports just days before critical votes, covering financial modelling, engineering specifications and legal implications. Read more
1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 This submission on the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 2) is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. Read more
Picture this: a part-time councillor rushes home from their day job, grabs dinner, then sits down to wade through 600 pages of technical reports two days before a crucial council meeting. Sound familiar? Read more
Nick Clark was mentioned on Newstalk ZB's news segment discussing his latest research on AI's potential for local government. The segment highlighted Clark's insights on how AI could assist councillors by helping them analyse reports, identify key points, and flag inconsistencies, while emphasising that the technology would enhance rather than replace human judgement. Read more
Picture this scenario: It is a Friday afternoon. A councillor receives a 600-page agenda for Tuesday's meeting. Read more
Local democracy in New Zealand is facing a troubling imbalance: mostly part-time councillors must process complex information prepared by full-time professional staff, often receiving hundreds of pages just days before critical votes. Could AI help rebalance this information asymmetry and strengthen democratic oversight? Read more
Wellington (Thursday, 12 June 2025) - Picture this: a part-time councillor rushes home from their day job, grabs dinner, then sits down to wade through 600 pages of technical reports two days before a crucial council meeting. Sound familiar? Read more
In November 2023, Ayaan Hirsi Ali stunned many of her long-time admirers by announcing her conversion to Christianity. “We can’t counter Islamism with purely secular tools,” she explained. Read more