Oliver is the Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative. Before joining the Initiative, he was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, the Chief Economist at Policy Exchange in London, and an advisor in the UK House of Lords. Oliver holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Business administration and a PhD in Law from Bochum University in Germany.
Oliver is available to comment on all of the Initiative’s research areas.
Latest reports:
#localismNZ: Bringing power to the people (2019)
Submission: Future of Tax (2018)
Submission: Overseas Investment Amendment Bill (2018)
Go Swiss: Learnings from The New Zealand Initiative's visit to Switzerland (2017)
Manifesto 2017: What the next New Zealand Government should do (2017)
Why Europe Failed (2015)
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
“What do we want? Evidence-based policy! When do we want it? After peer review!” Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich discusses how our comprehensive, year-long econometric analysis buries the old myth that school quality is linked to school decile. Our findings are published in our latest Research Note, Tomorrow's Schools: Data and Evidence. Read more
Our latest research, Tomorrow's Schools: Data and Evidence, carried out over a year, looked at data of 400,000 students and revealed there are no significant differences in school performance between schools of different deciles. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich speaks to Guyon Espiner about our latest research, Tomorrow's Schools: Data and Evidence. This report comes at the end of a comprehensive, year-long data analysis of 400,000 students and shows that once family background is separated out, most schools have about the same impact on their students' learning - no matter their decile. Read more
Of all the people in the world, former British Prime Minister David Cameron is probably the last person anyone wants to listen to on Brexit. After all, it was Cameron’s idea to hold the 2016 referendum that started the downfall. Read more
When Housing Minister Phil Twyford spoke at the Initiative’s retreat last week, I had only one regret about having invited him: Our event is held under Chatham House rules.You see, under Chatham House rules you cannot report or attribute anything that is said at the conference. This is to facilitate a free exchange of views and ideas.It was a pity because the Minister’s speech was the best political statement on urban development I ever heard. Read more
Germany and Switzerland have long been famous for exporting cars, machinery and chemicals to all parts of the world. They are now becoming well-known as exporters of their dual education model. Read more
Even three days after the Christchurch massacre, we are still looking for words to describe how we feel. Shock, disbelief and anger are on our minds. In our hearts, there is only bottomless sadness. Read more
“A regional outbreak of an infectious disease requires emergency mass vaccinations of about 125,000 people.” What sounds like a report from the distant past or a developing country happened only this week, in New Zealand. Measles is back. Over the past few days, the Canterbury District Health Board confirmed 27 cases of measles. Considering that measles takes about two weeks to incubate, the disease is likely to further spread. It could take several weeks until the outbreak is under control. Read more
When Queenstown Lakes District council announced a referendum last week on imposing a levy on visitors to the tourist hub, it made headlines around Otago. In fact, the proposal potentially has implications for infrastructure and tax reform across New Zealand. Read more
After a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said new documents to be added to the Brexit deal provided "legally binding changes" to the part relating to the Irish border. Read more
British Prime Minister Theresa May masters the art of political flexibility. Over the past three years, she has held a variety of views on many Brexit issues. There is hardly a position she had not taken only to proclaim the opposite shortly afterwards. Read more
“Few ways are guaranteed to make yourself unpopular in New Zealand: try claiming that pavlova was an Australian invention; hating the All Blacks; or maybe expressing sympathy for local government.” This is the opening paragraph in our new publication #localismNZ: Bringing power to the people. We launched it yesterday at a joint symposium with Local Government New Zealand. However, we may have been too quick to assume that New Zealanders are passionately opposed to local government. Read more
A new survey reveals that the majority of those surveyed support a move towards local services being managed and provided by local decision-makers. Read more
Oliver Hartwich introduces his new report #localismNZ: Bringing power to the people on Mike Hosking Breakfast. Read more