There are many things only the government can do. When it fails to excel, no one else can step in. Read more
After Fraser High School principal Virginia Crawford read her students the riot act about truancy, linking it to a host of social ills from criminal activity to being a victim of crime, and from illiteracy to unemployment, her offended students staged a walkout. It is easy to see why the students were offended. Read more
Our new report Fit for Purpose? Are Kiwis getting the government they pay for? Read more
Today we offer thanks and praise to those undertaking the most thankless of bureaucratic tasks, forever rolling good policy advice uphill only to watch it roll back down again, seemingly ignored. The country would be far worse in the absence of their labours. Read more
It is a sure sign I am getting old. At age 43, I am still working and I do not think it is a problem. Read more
Students who skip school are more likely to experience adverse life outcomes. This is a fact. Read more
Read The New Zealand Initiative's submission to the Treasury on New Zealand’s Fiscal Policy Framework: Establishing an Independent Fiscal Institution. Read more
Read The New Zealand Initiative's submission to the Treasury on Embedding wellbeing in the Public Finance Act 1989. Read more
Fair risks? Well, the government won’t be able to say it wasn’t warned about the risks in its fair pay agreements process. Read more
The hills were not alive with the sound of music last Thursday. That is when British Prime Minister Theresa May met with the European Union’s 27 other national leaders in the Austrian city of Salzburg. Read more
Governments spend money irresponsibly when they don’t care much whether the wellbeing outcomes for New Zealanders justify the amount being spent. This is happening on a grand scale. Read more
Yesterday, the government released the Tax Working Group’s interim report. As foreshadowed, the Group was coy about what it will recommend in December. Read more
As every law student learns, a rescuer owes a duty of care to a victim not to worsen the victim’s plight. The same principle applies in medical ethics. Read more
You can’t get more lavish than washing down some white gold caviar with Moet champagne while partying on top of the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. That’s how the rich and famous celebrated in Crazy Rich Asians, the latest blockbuster to hit theatres. Read more
Wellington (21 September 2018): The New Zealand Initiative warned today that government must heed Treasury’s warnings about rushing Fair Pay Agreements. This week, Treasury released its advice about the upcoming Cabinet Paper proposing Fair Pay Agreements. Read more