Eric Crampton is Chief Economist with the New Zealand Initiative.
He applies an economist’s lens to a broad range of policy areas, from devolution and housing policy to student loans and environmental policy. He served on Minister Twyford’s Urban Land Markets Research Group and on Minister Bishop’s Housing Economic Advisory Group.
Most recently, he has been looking at devolution to First Nations in Canada.
He is a regular columnist with Stuff and with Newsroom; his economic and policy commentary appears across most media outlets. He can also be found on Twitter at @ericcrampton.
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
Land transport funding is not in great shape. Minister Bishop’s announcement last week of a shift from petrol excise to road user charges should be the first step toward a much better funding system. Read more
I wonder whether Britain’s new role in the world is to show others what not to do. Their government sets policies that are about as sensible as jumping from high cliffs with neither parachute nor bungee cord. Read more
Those who grew up reading the old Greek myths will be familiar with Cassandra’s curse. Cassandra was a Trojan princess, blessed by the Gods with the gift of true prophecy – she really could see the future. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton talked to Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB about the Treasury report detailing government spending during the COVID-19 period. Dr Crampton highlighted that about half of the spending was not well-targeted and largely wasted, while advocating for the New Zealand Initiative's recommendation of an independent fiscal institution to provide critical advice to Parliament. Read more
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This submission to the Inquiry into online harms is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a Wellington-based think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. Read more
The government is worried about the harms some youths experience on social media. The Prime Minister has announced his support for age limits. Read more
Some things are legitimately confusing. Canada’s low-risk drinking guidelines are not confusing. Read more
You might not remember 2025, even though it’s only two decades ago. AI was only just beginning. Read more
In this episode, Eric talks to Michael Simcock, a structural engineer and recent MBA graduate, about the complex challenges preventing the introduction of cheaper building materials in New Zealand. They dive deep into the regulatory, technical, and economic barriers that make it difficult to use alternative building products, exploring how unique building codes, testing requirements, and the small scale of the New Zealand construction market create obstacles to reducing building costs. Read more
In this final episode of their three-part series, Dr Eric Crampton, Dr Benno Blaschke and Dr Stuart Donovan critically examine the government's housing discussion document, assessing its potential to create more competitive urban land markets. They explore whether the proposed reforms genuinely move towards a more responsive and dynamic urban development system or remain trapped in existing planning paradigms. You can also listen to Part 1 and 2 here: Going for Housing Growth (Part 1): How we got into this mess - Struggling with uncompetitive urban land markets Going for Housing Growth (Part 2): The way out - The benefits of competitive urban land markets To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
There is a fun sign at the Wairau Road Pak’nSave explaining the store’s story. The story began in 1987 when Foodstuffs acquired an interest in the land. Read more
The Regulatory Standards Bill before Parliament provides no enforceable legal right to compensation for the cost of regulation. It only suggests that compensation can be warranted when regulation takes or impairs property. Read more
Parliament faces tighter constraints when it wants to spend money than when it wishes to regulate. The Regulatory Standards Bill would set the two on slightly more equal footing. Read more
In this second episode of their three-part series on New Zealand's housing crisis, Eric Crampton continues the discussion with Stu Donovan and Benno Blaschke, exploring what competitive urban land markets could look like. Building on their previous exploration of how New Zealand's housing became dysfunctional, they now examine the ideal alternative to the current system, detailing how a more responsive urban environment could address the structural issues discussed in Part 1. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton and Dr Bryce Wilkinson presented a submission to the Finance and Expenditure Committee on day four of hearings into the Regulatory Standards Bill, supporting the legislation while proposing nine recommendations to improve regulatory accountability and transparency. The submission emphasised the bill's potential to provide greater scrutiny of regulations, address economic challenges like housing affordability and productivity, and create a mechanism for Parliament to better understand the implications of proposed legislation. Read more
