Last October, Minister for the Environment David Parker announced a two-year agenda for an improved freshwater management system. Following on from an election campaign in which freshwater management featured prominently, the announcement should not have come as a surprise. Read more
New Zealand deserves far better water management. Scores of newspaper articles and rigorous reports lay out the problems in the current system. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative today released its latest report, Refreshing Freshwater: Valuing the priceless. We believe it provides the best way of achieving the goals set in Minister Parker's Essential Freshwater programme. Read more
Eric Frykberg discusses our new report Refreshing Water in the Rural News update on Radio New Zealand. Author Eric Crampton explains why a cap-and-trade system (similar to the Emissions Trading Scheme) would give New Zealand a real chance to substantially improve the sustainability of our rivers and aquifers. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton speaks to Ngati Porou radio about his report, Refreshing Water, saying we believe our research provides a tool that will help Minister Parker, and the Government, achieve their goals of improving freshwater in New Zealand as outlined in the Essential Freshwater programme.
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Chief Economist Eric Crampton shares his thoughts on the cannabis referendum, and legalisation, with Mike Yardley on Newstalk ZB.
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When US psychologist Jonathan Haidt published The Righteous Mind in 2012, he himself may not have known how prescient it would be. The book’s subtitle is Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Read more
Students and employees – even high-tech workers – are usually taught what to learn but rarely how to learn. This gap is an enormous opportunity. Read more
It’s too easy for bad statistics to influence policy. About a decade ago, BERL added up every dollar spent by heavier drinkers, counted some other costs twice, and claimed that alcohol use cost New Zealand $4.8 billion per year. Read more
Few subjects are as dry as prudential regulation. As something that relates to banks, it is not the most obvious topic requiring our attention. Read more
Our International guest speaker Professor Barbara Oakley is a Professor of Engineering at Oakland University in Michigan. Over the past years, she has made a name for herself in promoting new and better ways of learning based on findings from neuroscience. Read more
The Interim Climate Change Committee (ICCC) will present its report to Government on transitioning New Zealand to 100% renewable electricity by 2035 this month. Research Fellow Matt Burgess is the author of our recent research report Switched On! Read more
Late last year, embattled Chancellor Angela Merkel resigned the leadership of her Christian Democrat CDU party and announced she would not seek a fifth term. After a tight contest, the party’s general manager Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer succeeded Merkel as leader. Read more
Eric Crampton shares on Radio New Zealand his thoughts on the government's recent decision not to pursue a capital gains tax. Read more
When it comes to funding our roads, the average New Zealand driver is not getting the best deal. For one, we have been paying for our streets and highways roughly the same way for the past 50 years, despite technological advancements and global best practice. Read more
