The sense of relief was palpable as the long election campaign finally ended. It is even better that the result delivered a clear mandate without the need of compromises, deal-making and brinkmanship. Read more
Fresh numbers show the Labour-led administration was a big spender even before Covid-19 and New Zealand incomes overall in 2025 might be less than in 2019. Last week the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published its forecasts out to 2025. Read more
Eric Crampton talks to Bryan Crump on Radio NZ Nights about the problem with climate policy and how this can be utilised for an effective Covid recovery.
The New Zealand Initiative · Eric Crampton the problem with climate policy Read more
Read our submission, written by Dr Bryce Wilkinson to Treasury and the Reserve Bank. This submission is in response to the third round of consultation on Phase 2 of the review of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act. Read more
Once upon a time, Boris Johnson scored an emphatic election victory. It delivered him an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons, and it was won on a promise: To sort out Brexit. Read more
Election campaigns are strange times. There can be a lot of talk about policy, but the real policy apparatus of government goes into limbo. Read more
Last week the Initiative took aim at those presiding over the country’s education system. For nearly two decades Kiwi students have suffered a steady decline in performance. Read more
A calendar app on Jacinda Ardern’s monitor shows the year is 2023. Outside is cold and threatening rain. Read more
In this week’s New Zealand Initiative podcast Briar Lipson responds to criticism and praise for her report about education. The responses were as varied as the groups speaking out. Read more
People are more careful when spending their own money than when spending on behalf of others. This truism is especially relevant in election years, but it applies more broadly. Read more
New Zealanders will elect a new Parliament on Saturday, but the election result is a foregone conclusion. Unless all pollsters have been consistently wrong for the past months, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern can prepare for a second term in office. Read more
Our Chief Economist Eric Crampton and Max Rashbrooke joined TVNZ Breakfast to discuss the political parties' economic policies in the lead up to the election. Read more
The rise of automation, artificial intelligence and pressures from developing economies are threatening low-skilled and unskilled jobs. Never has the need for school leavers to be well-educated been more important than today. Read more
Wealth taxes are tricky things. Even leaving aside the complications in real-world applications that caused the OECD to recommend against them, wealth taxes have an additional pernicious effect. Read more
New Zealand faces its worst recession in nearly a century. Unfortunately, the economic response to the challenges of covid-19 leaves much to be desired. Read more