Most national holidays revolve around either somber reflections or consumerism. It is time for New Zealand to formally recognise the cultural phenomenon that best captures our national spirit: Crate Day. Read more
The Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) runs every four years. It measures Year 5 and Year 9 students in different countries on what they have learned in science and mathematics. Read more
Last night, 850 of New Zealand’s business leaders gathered at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre for the 35th Deloitte Top 200 Awards. The Awards are New Zealand’s premier celebration of corporate excellence. Read more
In this episode, Eric talks to Elizabeth Heeg from the Forest Owners Association about New Zealand's new restrictions on forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme. They discuss why using ETS controls to address local forestry concerns is problematic, examining implementation challenges and arguing that these issues would be better handled through local land use planning. Read more
For over three decades, New Zealand has laboured under an employment law paradox. Laws designed to protect ordinary workers from arbitrary dismissal have constrained firms when dealing with poorly performing senior managers. Read more
My recent report, Who Makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court,[i] has sparked widespread debate about judicial overreach by the Supreme Court. Read more
Last week, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points to 4.25 percent. In contrast, the RBA kept Australia’s cash rate on hold at its last meeting. Read more
The tech sector’s pivot to Trump was an especially odd aspect of a decidedly odd American Presidential election. Silicon Valley’s tech sector had previously seemed populated by centrist Democrats – Peter Thiel aside. Read more
Economists’ open letters don’t have that great of a track record. In 1981, some 364 economists warned against UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s fiscal policies. Read more
New Zealand is building its way out of its housing crisis. A few years ago, the island nation was synonymous with unaffordability. Read more
Dr Murray Horn talked to Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB criticising a newly released New Zealand government COVID report for being too generous in its assessment and missing key issues like excessive economic stimulus and poor utilisation of the private sector. In his discussion, Dr Horn particularly emphasised how the government's politicisation of the pandemic response and monopolisation of its execution prevented proper adaptation and learning from mistakes. Read more
You might think that a national organisation awarding research grants would fund the best proposals. You might even think that funding decisions would be made by experts who can identify quality when they see it. Read more
In this podcast episode, Eric and Bryce discuss the history of regulatory reform efforts in New Zealand since 2001, focusing on the development of the Regulatory Standards Bill and its original mechanism of court declarations of inconsistency. They explore how diminished trust in courts' interpretations of laws has complicated this approach today, while also examining why past attempts to ensure good regulatory quality have faced challenges. Read more
Wellington (Friday, 29 November 2024) - The New Zealand Initiative welcomes today's announcement that New Zealand will follow Australia in excluding high-income earners from personal grievance claims for unjustified dismissal. The change implements recommendations from the Initiative's 2021 research note "Nothing Costs Nothing: Why unjustified dismissal procedures should not apply to the highly paid" (available here). Read more
New Zealand introduced a comprehensive GST in 1986. Value-added taxes elsewhere were riddled with politically-driven exemptions. Read more