New Zealand is barely a military power. It has had no combat aircraft for 25 years, and its ageing frigates need replacing. Read more
What is politics? According to Max Weber’s classic definition, politics is “a strong and slow boring of hard boards”. Read more
Major General John Howard speaks with Ryan Bridges on Herald NOW around why US and NZ are co-funding Cook Island port. John discusses it's alignment with our national security strategy and the economic benefits for the Cook Islands. Read more
For practical purposes, not emitting a tonne of carbon dioxide is equivalent to pulling a tonne of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and securely sequestering it, so long as the accounting is sound. The Zero Carbon Act consequently requires net zero for greenhouse gases other than biogenic methane. Read more
Most news clips from Parliament are from Question Time. It is at least as much performance theatre as a mechanism for holding government to account. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton talks with Wallace Chapman, alongside panellists Zoe George and Tim Wilson on The Panel about the Government's announcement that it will delay increases to fuel taxes by a year. Eric shares his opinions on the decision and offers up some alternative answers. Read more
In November 2018, officials at Immigration New Zealand began work on replacing the ageing biometric systems that verify identities and manage immigration risk. Seven years later it was dead, having delivered no measurable benefit. Read more
No competent physician would prescribe a remedy for a symptom before determining its cause. Local Government Minister Simon Watts wants to cap council rates increases at 2 to 4 percent. Read more
This week, the government introduced legislation intended to protect youths from online harms. If the Bill passes, covered social media platforms will be required to take ‘reasonable steps’ to stop under-16s from having accounts. Platforms that do not do enough will risk large fines. Read more
National has introduced a bill banning under 16s from social media, and both coalition partners have refused to back it. Oliver and Damien ask whether such a ban could work, and whether the state should be involved at all. Read more
Over the past couple of weeks, the two major parties have told us about their fiscal policies. Both promise to return the budget to surplus before the end of the decade. Read more
Mike Hosking recommended Dr Oliver Hartwich's New Zealand Herald column on Labour's capital gains tax on Newstalk ZB, calling it "absolutely brilliant". He worked through Dr Hartwich's account of a debate hosted by the Institute for Democratic and Economic Analysis, where no one in the room backed the policy, along with the design flaws Dr Hartwich set out, including no adjustment for inflation, exemptions that leave little beyond rental housing, and revenue earmarked for free GP visits in a country already short of doctors. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich talks with Michael Laws on The Platform on how to fix our spaghetti diagram public service. Oliver discusses the need to have clearer responsibility lines within our state sector. Read more
On Monday evening, I sat on a panel at Foxglove on Queens Wharf in Wellington, where I was expected to play the neoliberal villain. The Institute for Democratic and Economic Analysis is a think tank devoted to fighting poverty and political exclusion. Read more
I have always liked Iceland. My first visit was on a cruise ship in the mid-1990s. Read more