All around the country Kiwi students are in the thick of their long-awaited NCEA exams. Many of which will now have a new appreciation for the immense value of schooling – particularly after being locked out for several weeks this year. School is more than cheap day-care. Read more
Analogies are fun, but good luck using them to change someone’s mind. I’ve heard plenty of conservatives in the US (and everywhere else) say the economy is like a household and the president is like a CEO. Read more
Thanks for tuning in to the New Zealand Initiative’s Freely Speaking podcast where the style is casual, the topics are important and the brakes are off. In this episode, around the table is executive director Oliver Hartwich, chief economist Eric Crampton, senior fellow Bryce Wilkinson and chief editor Nathan Smith. Read more
In this Quick Take podcast, Matt Burgess asks why Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr wants to stop aircraft travel and container shipping to help save the climate when carbon offsets will let Kiwis do both. If you would like to listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
Oliver Hartwich wrote in his Newsroom column that he is looking forward to a defrosting of the trans-Atlantic relationship as a new US administration enters the White House. He discusses the details with Nathan Smith in this podcast. Read more
What is James Shaw planning for tougher climate change policy? Matt Burgess suspects some major changes are coming. Read more
Just a few hours into the vote count of the US Presidential election, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša sent out a congratulatory tweet – but to the wrong president-elect. “It’s pretty clear that American people have elected @realDonaldTrump @Mike_Pence for #4moreyears,” Janša wrote. Read more
Last week, the Government announced a new $70 million fund which will pay companies to move heating processes from coal to cleaner alternatives. The Prime Minister said the fund, which is called Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI), is a “win win” that will “create jobs while lowering emissions”. Read more
James Shaw has wasted no time asserting his powers as Climate Change Minister. His comments at the Climate Change and Business Conference in Auckland last Wednesday signal the Government’s intent on emissions. Read more
It sounds so easy: If waiting on a Covid-19 test, stay home. It’s probably just a cold, but the costs if it isn’t are high. Read more
Rumours of a merger between the Reserve Bank and the Property Council have been greatly exaggerated. The Bank will need no help to do whatever it takes to keep Auckland homeowners safe from any dip in property prices. Read more
In a year of bad news, the past few weeks were a welcome exception. Pfizer’s announcement of a potentially effective Covid-19 vaccine opens a path back to normal life. Read more
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern dipped her toe into the debate over rising house prices by suggesting returning Kiwis are mostly to blame for skyrocketing house prices. Ardern is wrong to point the finger at returning Kiwi’s. Read more
Real Estate Institute figures show median house prices across the country rose by nearly 20 percent - and hit a million dollars in Auckland. David Law explains to Andrew Dickens on Newstalk ZB why other factors are more likely to play a part. Read more
In a recent interview on Newstalk ZB, prime minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealanders coming home after Covid-19 was a major factor in record levels of home lending. Oliver Hartwich explains to Mike Hosking why it is not correct to draw a straight line from high house prices to net migration. Read more