Worried about President Trump? It might not be as bad as you think. Read more
Earlier this year I wrote that a Donald Trump presidency wouldn’t be that bad. Today I’m a whole lot less cheerful. Read more
Head of Research Dr Eric Crampton discusses inequality and poverty in New Zealand following the release of our report, The Inequality Paradox: Why inequality matters even though it has barely changed. Read more
Wellington (7 November 2016): The New Zealand Initiative welcomes and supports The Human Rights Commission’s call for greater protection for citizen’s property rights in New Zealand” said executive director, Dr Oliver Hartwich. The Initiative’s Head of Research, Dr Eric Crampton, adds, “The NZHRC’s reminder that property rights are human rights could not have a better exemplar than the Christchurch Red Zone. Read more
When I was a poor grad student, I made a lot of use of credit cards. Not having to pay for up to about 40 days after a purchase was awfully helpful when budgeting around lumpy scholarship payments. Read more
Have we ever witnessed a stranger US election campaign? What started off looking like a bad joke has now become a possibility: Reality TV star and self-proclaimed business genius Donald Trump becoming the 45th US President. Read more
While recently in northern California researching the management of recreational fisheries, I recalled the common phrase, “Size isn’t important, unless you’re a fisherman.” This phrase came to mind in relation to the red abalone fishery, which is the most common and largest of seven abalone species along the northern California coastline. What really stands out in this fishery is the recent breakthrough in the way it is being managed. Read more
In an NBR article last week I wrote about scams in the form of public misinformation about economic inequality in New Zealand. The first one I mentioned was the assertion that inequality here has risen faster than in any other country “in recent years”. Read more
As a follow-up to our recently released report, What's the Catch?, Dr Randall Bess travelled overseas to the USA to learn more about fisheries management. One of the places he stopped was along the California coast, where he met with representatives of The Nature Conservancy, and learnt about a diver-led initiative to assist with the management of red abalone. Read more
As a follow-up to The New Zealand Initiative's recently released report, What's the Catch?, Randall Bess is travelling overseas to research some of the different ways recreational fisheries are managed. In his overseas travels, he first visited the remote northern California coastline. Read more
If you are familiar with The Adventures of Asterix, you probably remember the beginning: “The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Read more
1. Don’t like capitalism? Read more
This week the United Nations named Wonder Woman honorary ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. Apparently she “will be tasked with raising awareness about Goal 5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals”. Read more
If the mystification around the low local election turnout was not strong enough a signal that officials just do not get local government, the latest freedom camper rules review should amp it up. The government is anticipating a deluge of freedom campers over the summer and at next year’s British and Irish Lions tour. Read more
Science has it that you are more likely to remember the minute details of losing money, losing friends, and receiving criticism than you are about winning money, making friends, and receiving praise. This may explain recent editorial furore and media commentaries recounting all the failures of the Minister of Education, Hekia Parata, following her announcement that she will not be contesting in the 2017 elections. Read more