Any discussion around foreign direct investment in New Zealand is guaranteed to provoke hearty debate. More often than not, public uproar over the issue tends to be spurred on by media reports of an impending sale of New Zealand land to overseas interests. Read more
Our Head of Research, Dr Eric Crampton, talks to Katie Bradford from One News following a poll showing that a majority of New Zealanders currently support a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. CLICK HERE to view the video. Read more
Last month Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga provided the first peek at the latest round of Local Government Act reforms, dubbed the Better Local Services package. The announcement was not a surprise, particularly as it came in the wake of failed council amalgamation proposals in Wellington, Northland and Hawke’s Bay. Read more
Over at the Christchurch Press, I went through the current controversies about an Ashburton water bottling plant. New Zealand allocates water drawing rights through a consenting system. Read more
Chef and television personality Jamie Oliver was a major proponent of a sugar tax in the UK. You would think, then, that a sugar tax would be a real triumph for the chef turned lobbyist. Read more
A few years ago, The New Republic held a contest for most boring news headline. “A Worthwhile Canadian Initiative” won. Read more
Todd Treweek’s had a bad week. As the Herald reported on Wednesday, the Dunedin chef’s just been busted for his tenth parking offence. Read more
Most people would agree that fairness means that equal things get treated equally and different things get treated differently. In the schooling sector, the current funding system by deciles is one such attempt to be fair. Read more
If you don't know what your inputs really cost, it's hard to know the real value of your company's product. Whether you build cars or make milk powder, that can cause problems. When Germany reunified after the fall of the Berlin wall, legend has it that a West German auto executive emerged weeping from a Trabant car plant. Read more
Some New Zealanders are downright idiots when they drink. From couch burning to drunken brawls to smashing bottles in the streets, there is an ugly side to drinking in New Zealand. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative was proud to host Dean Barry, Counsellor - Immigration from the Canadian High Commission in Canberra to present "Communities of Care: How Canada welcomes so many refugees" in Wellington.
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Our Research Fellow, Jason Krupp, talks to Jesse Mulligan from Radio New Zealand about how other vibrant cities throughout the world deal with the inevitable tension between nightlight and community concerns. Read more
A funny thing happened in the last round of American minimum wage increases. The number of people in unpaid internships went up. Read more
Wellington (4 April 2016): Health Minister Jonathan Coleman is right to be sceptical about sugar and soda taxes, says The New Zealand Initiative. “While a handful of countries have tried sugar taxes, evidence that they will work is not as convincing as public health experts suggest,” says policy analyst Jenesa Jeram. Read more
A funny thing happened in the last round of American minimum wage increases. The number of people in unpaid internships went up. Read more