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Prescription for Prosperity 2026: Briefing to the Incoming Government

This is The New Zealand Initiative’s 2026 Prescription for Prosperity. Since 2017, the Initiative has prepared a briefing for the incoming government. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Dr Eric Crampton
Dr Michael Johnston
Roger Partridge
Dr Bryce Wilkinson ONZM
Research Report
27 May, 2026

Media release: Think tank sets out 235-point policy agenda for a more prosperous New Zealand

Wellington (Wednesday, 27 May 2026) – New Zealand can be a much more prosperous country, and the policy choices needed to get us there are well within reach, says The New Zealand Initiative’s Executive Director, Dr Oliver Hartwich. The Initiative today released Prescription for Prosperity 2026, its fourth briefing to an incoming government. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Media release
27 May, 2026

Media release: A tradie can earn as much as a policy analyst, so why does New Zealand still treat university as the gold standard?

Wellington (Tuesday, 28 April 2026) - A heavy diesel mechanic earns roughly the same as a policy analyst, qualifies in the same time and graduates with little or no debt. Yet most New Zealanders still regard university as superior to industry training and our school qualifications system has quietly reinforced that bias for decades. Read more

Dr Michael Johnston
Media release
28 April, 2026
Emile Donovan

RNZ: Dr Michael Johnston on why a blanket ban on new single-sex state schools goes too far

Dr Michael Johnston talked to Emile Donovan on Nights on RNZ about the Ministry of Education's plan not to build any new single-sex state schools, arguing that while co-education has clear social benefits, a blanket ban removes choice, particularly for families who can't afford private alternatives. Dr Johnston noted that his research found single-sex schools showed better academic results on average for both sexes, especially for Māori and Pasifika boys and boys from lower socioeconomic communities. Read more

Dr Michael Johnston
RNZ
31 March, 2026
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In the Meantime

In August 2025, Dr Oliver Hartwich delivered the inaugural Da Vinci Lecture at the Portfolio Construction Forum Strategies Summit, an essay called Leonardo’s Legacy. That lecture attempted something ambitious – to trace the civilisational architecture that connected the Renaissance humanists to our present moment, and to explain how that structure was failing us. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Essay
25 February, 2026

Podcast: Understanding the highly sensitive learner

In this episode, Michael Johnston speaks with Kaaryn Cater of MindWise Connection about sensitivity – a temperamental trait that makes some people more affected by their environment. They explore why open-plan classrooms can overwhelm highly sensitive children, how social cues and sensory stimuli shape learning, and practical strategies teachers and workplaces can use to reduce overload and better support highly sensitive people. Read more

Dr Michael Johnston
Kaaryn Cater
17 February, 2026

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