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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

Heather du Plessis-Allan discussed the Reserve Bank's handling of inflation during COVID on Newstalk ZB, highlighting that The New Zealand Initiative first identified that COVID could cause inflation a year and a half before the Reserve Bank began tightening in October 2021. She noted the Initiative also warned in February 2022 that inflation was becoming a problem, while the bank continued its cheap lending programme until December 2022 when inflation had already reached 7.2%. 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

Wellington (Monday, 22 September 2026) - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has been unfairly scapegoated for the current recession when it was simply doing its job of bringing inflation under control, according to new research from The New Zealand Initiative. The research note, Monetary Policy Without Mates, reveals that while the RBNZ fought to tame inflation that peaked at nearly 8%, the government's fiscal policy worked against these efforts – forcing interest rates to stay higher for longer. Read more

Mike Hosking discussed the Initiative's report "Monetary policy without mates" on Newstalk ZB, agreeing with its argument that the Reserve Bank has been unfairly scapegoated for the current recession when it was simply doing its job of bringing inflation under control. He emphasised that the government's fiscal policy worked against the Reserve Bank's efforts, with Grant Robertson's spending forcing interest rates to stay higher for longer. Read more

Herald NOW mentioned Dr Oliver Hartwich on their news segment about the Reserve Bank governor appointment. He emphasised the importance of maintaining the Reserve Bank's independence and allowing it to focus on addressing inflation without political interference. Read more