MEDIA

Dr Michael Johnston talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about cultural relativism and debates over knowledge systems in New Zealand universities. Dr Johnston responded to accusations from Dr Anne Salmond that the Initiative and Free Speech Union are trying to dictate university policy, defending their support for open debate and the Education and Training Amendment Bill. Read more

Wellington (Tuesday, 2 December 2025) - A new approach to director accountability could prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in tax debt from becoming unrecoverable by requiring directors to act early when financial distress emerges, according to a research note from The New Zealand Initiative. The research note, 'Responsibility before ruin: A pre-emptive fix for NZ's phoenix problem', addresses companies that accumulate large tax debts before dissolving, sometimes only to restart under a new name. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich talked to Newstalk ZB on the corporate tax debt loophole that sees IRD writing off hundreds of millions of dollars annually due to the "Phoenix problem," where companies dissolve and reform under new names. Dr Hartwich highlighted Germany's solution, where directors face personal liability for tax debts if they fail to pay within 20 days or file for insolvency. Read more

Roger Partridge talked to Rob Forsyth on the Centre for Independent Studies podcast Liberalism in Question about his essay defending classical liberalism against critiques from Christian nationalists who argue liberal societies need "strong gods". Partridge argued that liberal democracy's ailments stem from policy failures in housing and education, institutional decay, postmodernism's corrosive influence, and inadequate civic education rather than from being too philosophically thin. Read more

Wellington (Tuesday, 25 November 2025) - A grades are now only a few years away from becoming the most common grade awarded at New Zealand universities, according to new analysis released today by The New Zealand Initiative. The research note, ‘Fifty Shades of Grades: Grade Compression at New Zealand Universities’, builds on the Initiative's August report, ‘Amazing Grades’, which identified a substantial rise in A grades as well as rising pass rates. Read more

Dr James Kierstead talked to Ingrid Hipkiss on RNZ's Morning Report about his research showing A grades are becoming the most common at New Zealand universities, rising from 35% to nearly 50% at some institutions. Dr Kierstead explained that grade inflation is driven by academics' incentives around student numbers and feedback, arguing it dilutes the value of top grades and undermines motivation for hard work. Read more

Dr James Kierstead discussed grade inflation at New Zealand universities on Newstalk ZB. He explained that A grades have increased from 22% to 36% of all grades since 2006, while B and C grades have fallen, with the Initiative's analysis finding no evidence students are getting smarter—suggesting academics have incentives to award higher grades. Read more

Dr James Kierstead talked to Heather du Plessis-Allan on Newstalk ZB about the Initiative's new research showing A grades at New Zealand universities have surged 64% since 2006 and now make up nearly 40% of all grades. Dr Kierstead explained that academics face pressure to inflate grades to maintain student numbers and positive feedback, undermining universities' credibility as reliable signals to employers and requiring potential government intervention to address the systemic issue. Read more

Nick Clark talked to Paul Brennan on Reality Check Radio about his report on New Zealand's electoral system and why it needs reform. Clark argued for moving to four-year terms, increasing MP numbers to strengthen select committees, lowering the 5% party threshold, scrapping costly low-turnout by-elections, tightening advance voting rules, and improving civics education so voters better understand how democracy works. Read more

Wellington (Thursday, 13 November 2025) - A new report from The New Zealand Initiative says New Zealand can learn from Dutch pragmatism, competence and cooperation. Go Dutch: Learnings from The New Zealand Initiative's visit to the Netherlands follows the Initiative’s 2025 study tour of 42 business and civic leaders. Read more

Wellington (Thursday, 13 November 2025) – The New Zealand Initiative welcomes Parliament’s enactment today of the Regulatory Standards Bill. The Bill requires the government of the day to be much more transparent to Parliament than before about why it is asking Parliament to pass laws and regulations. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich spoke about the New Zealand Initiative's recent delegation trip to the Netherlands at a Dutch Business Association event, presenting the Initiative's report on how Dutch culture and pragmatism shape policy approaches. Dr Hartwich explained how the delegation's visit to Amsterdam's deregulation authority influenced the passing of New Zealand's regulatory standards bill, with Dutch officials describing the controversial legislation as "common sense". Read more

On his show on Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking discussed Dr Michael Johnston's reception as a guest speaker at a recent education conference, where he faced an unprofessional response from teachers and unionists. Hosking and his guests Tim Wilson and Kate Hawkesby criticised the behaviour as childish, with Wilson praising Dr Johnston for continuing to deliver his speech. Read more

Dr Michael Johnston talked to Sharon Brettkelly on RNZ's The Detail about his role in the Curriculum Coherence Group and the public reaction to the draft curriculum refresh. Dr Johnston addressed criticisms of the knowledge-rich approach, defended the balance of New Zealand and international content, and argued that a knowledge-rich curriculum would help address equity gaps in education outcomes. Read more

Wellington (Tuesday, 4 November 2025) - The New Zealand Initiative today releases a research note revealing how adding GP clinic data to government databases could transform healthcare outcomes while cutting costs. The research note, “Better health through better data” by Adjunct Fellow Dr Prabani Wood, shows that while government can track hospital visits, prescriptions and even school attendance, it cannot see clearly what happens in GP clinics – where most healthcare occurs. Read more