MEDIA

Nick Clark talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about the Initiative's report recommedning Parliament to 170 MPs and introduce four-year terms. He explained that New Zealand's parliament is undersized compared to similar countries and that more MPs would prevent overhang seat issues while improving geographic representation and parliamentary scrutiny. Watch below. Read more

Wellington (Wednesday, 29 October 2025) - New Zealand's three-year parliamentary term is too short for effective government and the country needs more MPs to keep politicians accessible to voters, according to new research examining 30 years of MMP in New Zealand. “MMP has delivered fairer and more representative parliaments, but it’s time for an upgrade,” says Nick Clark, Senior Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative and author of the report. Read more

This webinar launches “MMP After 30 Years: Time for Electoral Reform?”, a report by Nick Clark proposing practical updates to make New Zealand’s MMP work better. Hosted by Dr Oliver Hartwich and featuring David Farrar (foreword author; political commentator and pollster), the discussion canvasses a four-year parliamentary term, expanding Parliament to 170 MPs with stronger select committees, moving to a 50:50 electorate–list split to avoid overhangs, modestly lowering the party-vote threshold while retaining the one-seat pathway, abolishing by-elections (filling vacancies from lists), repealing waka-jumping rules, and streamlining special-vote processing with consistent campaign rules across the whole voting period — drawing on international comparisons and lessons from the 2023 election. Read more

Nick Clark talked to Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB about a New Zealand Initiative report proposing to expand Parliament to 170 MPs and introduce four-year terms, arguing that New Zealand's Parliament is 30% smaller than comparable countries and MPs are stretched too thin across select committees and large electorates. Clark also advocated for reducing Cabinet from 20 to 15 ministers, referencing the Initiative's earlier "Unscrambling Government" report which criticised New Zealand's bloated executive structure with approximately 80 portfolios. Read more

Nick Clark talked to Wallace Chapman on RNZ's The Panel about The New Zealand Initiative's report examining MMP's performance, which recommends increasing Parliament to 170 MPs and introducing a four-year parliamentary term. He explained that New Zealand's parliament is small by international standards and argued that larger electorates and overstretched select committees justify the expansion, whilst also advocating for rationalising the current 81 ministerial portfolios. Read more

David Farrar discussed Nick Clark's New Zealand Initiative report advocating for an increase in MPs from 120 to 170 on RNZ's The Whip with Wallace Chapman. Farrar, who wrote the foreword for the report "MMP After 30 Years: Time for Electoral Reform?", defended the proposal despite acknowledging its unpopularity, arguing that New Zealand needs more MPs to better serve larger electorates, strengthen select committees, and provide a bigger pool for ministerial appointments. Read more

Dr James Kierstead talked to Damien Grant on Different Matters about The New Zealand Initiative's research showing substantial grade inflation at New Zealand universities, with A grades rising from roughly 15% to over 30% of all grades awarded, peaking at nearly 50% during COVID at some institutions. Dr Kierstead explained how this grade inflation undermines the signalling value of university qualifications for employers and represents a "tragedy of the commons" where individual academics inflate grades to boost student numbers, ultimately damaging the credibility of the entire tertiary education system. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton talked to Corin Dann on RNZ's Morning Report about Labour's proposed NZ Future Fund, alongside Simplicity co-founder Sam Stubbs. Dr Crampton raised concerns about the fund's restrictions on asset sales and questioned whether it would create economic fragility rather than resilience, arguing that the $800 million in diverted dividends would need to be replaced through spending cuts or tax increases. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform about Labour's Future Fund proposal, explaining how it differs from New Zealand First's similarly named policy and noting it lacks detail on funding and operations. Dr Hartwich highlighted contradictions between the fund's dual mandate, compared it unfavourably to Singapore's Temasek Fund, and identified protecting state assets from privatisation as the real political purpose behind the proposal. Read more

Kerre Woodham discussed our report "Owning Less to Achieve More" on Newstalk ZB, which advocates for housing vouchers instead of state-owned housing. Woodham endorsed the report's findings that government housing vouchers would empower vulnerable tenants by giving them choice in landlords, whilst highlighting the report's criticism of Kāinga Ora's high maintenance costs and inefficient management. Read more

Wellington (Thursday, 16 October 2025) - Why does the government need to continue owning or managing more than 77,000 housing units, given its poor track record in this area, especially when state assistance can be provided without extensive government ownership? And why does it not release more land for housing? Read more

This webinar launches "Owning Less to Achieve More: Refocusing Kāinga Ora", a report by Dr Bryce Wilkinson arguing that government should fund people, not property. Hosted by Dr Oliver Hartwich and featuring the Rt Hon Sir Bill English (former Prime Minister; chair of the 2024 Independent Review of Kāinga Ora), the discussion explores how separating funding from ownership through voucher-style support, releasing under-utilised land, and diversifying providers could lift housing outcomes, restore fiscal sustainability, and empower tenants—drawing on OECD practice and New Zealand’s social investment approach. Read more

Dr Bryce Wilkinson talked to Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB about his report finding that operating Kainga Ora's 77,000 state houses costs twice as much as the private sector. He argued for transferring state housing to community housing providers or tenants themselves, citing international examples and emphasising the need to empower tenants with more housing options. Read more

Mike Hosking discussedour new report on Newstalk ZB with Rt Hon Sir Bill English, who contributed the foreword to the report, which finds that Kāinga Ora's 77,000 homes cost taxpayers twice as much as the private sector and advocates for greater tenant choice of landlord. Sir Bill, who previously led the independent review of Kāinga Ora, explained that smaller-scale housing providers of around 5,000 homes demonstrate better economies of scale and tenant outcomes than Kāinga Ora's centralised model. Read more

Nick Mills discussed our report "Owning Less to Achieve More" on Newstalk ZB, which proposes selling state homes and replacing them with rent vouchers for tenants. Mills explored the report's findings that Kāinga Ora's maintenance costs are nearly double those of private landlords, and highlighted Sir Bill English's view that the focus has shifted away from tenants towards the houses themselves. Read more