Reports & Media

Dr Eric Crampton talked to Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB about the Reserve Bank's recent self-review, which found the bank was too slow to raise interest rates after COVID-19. He argued the Reserve Bank should have recognised earlier that it was dealing with a supply shock rather than a demand problem, noting that excessive money printing in response to COVID's economic disruption drove inflation to 7.3% and required painful interest rate hikes to bring it back under control. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton talked to Charlotte Cook on RNZ about US President Donald Trump's repeated threat to impose 100% tariffs on foreign films. He explained that such tariffs would be practically impossible to implement on digital services like films, but suggested the threat could provide an opportunity for countries like New Zealand to negotiate an international agreement to scale back film production subsidies. Listen below. Read more

Roger Partridge talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about his analysis of how New Zealand judges are returning gang patches to offenders despite Parliament's clear intention to ban them through the Gangs Act 2024. He argued that courts are overstepping their constitutional role by using judicial tools like the "principle of legality" and tikanga considerations to sidestep Parliament's democratically expressed will, undermining both the rule of law and democratic legitimacy. Read more

In this episode, James talks to Craig Mellare and Abdul Razeed, senior lecturers at the University of Sydney Business School, about their empirical study on grade inflation in Australian higher education. They discuss findings showing that grades have risen significantly over the past decade despite no improvement in student ability, and explore the institutional pressures driving this phenomenon including student evaluation systems, time constraints on academic staff, and the need to manage student appeals and expectations. Read more

RNZ Business News discussed Dr Oliver Hartwich's comments defending the Reserve Bank on their midday bulletin. He defended the Reserve Bank against scapegoating claims, arguing that the current government's single inflation mandate and expansionary fiscal policies have made monetary policy more challenging. Read more

Roger Partridge talked to Francesca Rudkin on Newstalk ZB about the NZ Herald's Mood of the Boardroom survey, describing business leaders' sentiment as "grim" due to New Zealand's struggling economy and high cost of living. He called for greater bipartisanship on long-term economic issues like retirement savings and infrastructure, while noting that Trump's tariffs have significantly impacted CEO confidence despite the global community underestimating the reality of his trade policies. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich was featured on Newstalk ZB's news segments commenting on Reserve Bank independence. He argued that the government should let the Reserve Bank maintain its independence and focus on addressing inflation without political interference over interest rate decisions. Read more