Education Minister Erica Stanford stands accused of compressing a generation of reform into two years. Her programme is “radical,” “ideological,” and risks turning children into guinea pigs. Read more
Turn on the news and you will hear endless references to the Crown: “Crown obligations,” “Crown land,” “Crown Treaty settlements.” Politicians make decisions “on behalf of the Crown.” Courts issue rulings about what “the Crown” must do. Yet ask Kiwis what this “Crown” actually is, and many will give blank stares. Read more
Auckland is deciding where the next generation of homes will go. Plan Change 120 is a proposal to rewrite the city’s planning rules. Read more
In this episode, Eric talks to Oliver Hartwich about New Zealand's negotiations with the United States over rare earth minerals, following a 180-day ultimatum from America requiring allied nations to sign mineral access deals or face tariffs. They discuss the complications revealed in Australia's similar agreement, the implications for New Zealand's mining regulations and international relationships, and how this pressure from the US represents a fundamental shift away from the traditional rules-based international order. Read more
For the first time since the Second World War, New Zealand is being asked to make major economic decisions under direct threat from an ally. New Zealand is negotiating a minerals deal with the United States. Read more
At the World Economic Forum last month, Mark Carney delivered a speech that should make every middle power pay attention. The former central banker, now Canada’s Prime Minister, argued that the rules-based international order is fading. Read more
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This submission on the proposed rates target model for New Zealand is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative). Read more
Think for a moment about how some pharmacy services are funded. Or rather, not really funded. Read more
Imagine Parliament passes a Schools Act “to promote the establishment of schools for the benefit of New Zealand.” Parliament is careful. It specifies exactly what the Minister must consider before approving a new school: the operator’s financial capability, site safety, compliance history, and consultation with local iwi. Read more
Right now, Auckland Council’s zoning allows people to build about a million shops selling tasty pies. Tomorrow, someone could buy or lease a commercially-zoned site near you and turn it into a shop selling pies. Read more
This week, 2026 got under way in earnest. Workers are back at work, children are back at school and New Year’s resolutions have faded into distant memory. Read more
In this episode, Michael and Stephanie are joined by former Chief Justice of Australia Robert French to examine academic freedom and freedom of expression in universities. French reflects on the model code he developed in 2019 for Australian universities and explains why the real threat to free speech often lies in vague codes of conduct rather than controversial speakers. Read more
Parliament returned this week after a six-week holiday. It will have a lot to consider this year. Read more
Consumer price inflation in New Zealand is not beaten. The Reserve Bank might decide it has cut interest rates a bit too much. Read more
The pre-Christmas stoush between Finance Minister Nicola Willis and her 1990s predecessor Ruth Richardson has faded. The planned debate was cancelled. Read more