Public Forums

Join us on Monday, 23 March, for the launch of From Red Tape to Green Gold, when research fellow Jason Krupp will outline the policy changes needed to boost mining output and bolster environmental protections. As a country with one of the highest natural capital endowments per person in the world, New Zealand is not just sitting on a gold mine, but oilfields, iron ore deposits, high grade coking coal seams, and numerous other industrial minerals. Read more

The papers are full of quantitative easing and exchange rate volatility. But there are much bigger changes underway in the Asia-Pacific economies. Read more

New Zealand is in good fiscal shape and the budget on track back to surplus. However, demographic change means we cannot afford to be complacent. Read more

On 9 November 1989, world history was made. The fall of the Berlin Wall ended decades of German division, it brought the Cold War to an end, and it even triggered US political scientist Francis Fukuyama to proclaim “the end of history”. Read more

Earthquakes are bad enough on their own but policy can always make them worse. Regulatory and planning policy in the lead-up to the February 2011 earthquake and in the subsequent response period led to needless deaths, too few options for those whose homes were damaged, a confusopoly in insurance, and an endlessly drawn out quest for the perfect downtown plan. Read more

Come along and listen to some of New Zealand’s top university debaters battle over the moot: Commemorations of past wars are nationalistic exercises in war glorification. We'll have panellists Stephen Franks of Franks Ogilvie and Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative Dr Oliver Hartwich. Read more

Come along and listen to some of New Zealand’s top university debaters battle it out with the moot: Should New Zealand tie MPs and Ministers' salaries to a multiple of the average national income? We will have panellists political commentator and blogger David Farrar and Jordan Williams, Executive Director of The Taxpayers' Union. Read more

Come along and listen to some of New Zealand’s top university debaters battle it out with the moot: Progressive tax rates are unfair. We will have panellists Julian Darby of Russell Investments and Roger Partridge, Chairman of The New Zealand Initiative. Read more

In recent decades, urban planners have been inventing all sorts of abstract objectives to justify their plans for our future cities: smart growth, liveability, and sustainability are among the most recent fads. There is nothing wrong, of course, for a city to be smart, liveable, or sustainable. Read more

The Australian government recently appointed Tim Wilson, an outspoken classical liberal, to its Human Rights Commission. Commissioner Wilson's agenda is ambitious: He seeks to promote a culture of rights and responsibilities so that every citizen understands their rights and confidently stands up for them against government encroachment. Read more

Co-authored by Jason Krupp and Khyaati Acharya, the report analyses the assumption that in order to accommodate an ever-growing population cities need to build up, not out. The idea behind this suggestion is that denser, more compact cities achieve higher levels of productivity, greater housing affordability, better health outcomes and less traffic congestion. Read more

The New Zealand Initiative invites you to the launch of James Allan's new book Democracy in Decline. Professor Allan will speak at public events in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch on 12, 13 and 14 May. Read more

Join us for the launch of the final report in a series on foreign direct investment (FDI). Co-authored by Dr Bryce Wilkinson and Khyaati Acharya, Open for Business makes bold recommendations to open our markets to international capital. Read more

Please join us for the launch of John Morris and Rose Patterson’s final report on teacher quality, where they will discuss how New Zealand can transform teaching into a profession. The first in a three part series of reports identified that teachers are New Zealand’s greatest educational asset. Read more

The New Zealand Initiative invites you to a presentation on how global population changes and economic repolarisation are ushering in a new world order. The future will increasingly be dominated by the Asia-Pacific region. Read more