Prime Minister Christopher Luxon this week opened the door to asset recycling. He suggested that the government could sell state-owned enterprises and commercial assets it no longer has any reason to own, to fund new infrastructure. Read more
The Government deserves credit for wanting to make it easier for new supermarkets and other large projects to get off the ground. The Government’s broad approach is sound. Read more
Now that we’re getting towards the end of the year, and I’m getting towards the end of my time as a contributor to this newsletter, I’ve been thinking about the news story that most stood out for me this year and that best encapsulates my experience of this country. The obvious answer is the story of Ned the snail. Read more
The population of South Korea is about 51 million. In a hundred years, it will likely be about 11 million – a reduction of about 80%. Read more
Last month, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented her plans for 2026 to the European Parliament. She promised the continent would become the “master of its own destiny”, build its own armies, control key technologies and lead the green transformation without depending on America or China. Read more
In just two school terms, something remarkable has happened in New Zealand’s primary classrooms. According to data from the Education Review Office, the proportion of students meeting curriculum expectations for phonics knowledge after 20 weeks of schooling has increased from 36 percent to 58 percent, with those exceeding expectations more than doubling. Phonics knowledge is not itself reading, but it is an important first step. Read more
After over 16 years as a GP, I can tell you what keeps me up at night. It is not the long hours or the difficult diagnoses. Read more
Earlier this week, teachers’ unions accused Minister of Education Erica Stanford of a “blatant power grab.” This followed Stanford’s announcement that the Teaching Council will no longer set professional standards for teacher training. The Ministry of Education will take over this responsibility. Read more
A commissioned report released this past week revealed a fact you may find surprising. Rules stopping a stadium from hosting many events cause an enormous amount of forgone revenue over time. Read more
When Canadian doctors received reports comparing their prescribing practices with those of their peers, antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory infections decreased. No new rules. Read more
Sometimes, policy work is like wishing on a cursed wish-granting monkey’s paw. Like the one in the old Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode, later parodied in The Simpsons. Read more
Illicit tobacco might now make up more than a quarter of New Zealand’s tobacco market. There are no wholly reliable numbers on the size of illicit markets. Read more
The annual public hearing of Germany’s intelligence chiefs is normally a tedious affair: Bureaucrats read prepared statements. Politicians ask predictable questions. Read more
This week, we released our latest report, MMP after 30 years: Time for Electoral Reform? Amidst a long list of recommendations to improve our electoral system, one sparked a particularly strong reaction – that Parliament be increased from 120 members to 170. Read more
At the INFINZ Conference this month, the Initiative’s Dr Oliver Hartwich presented some uncomfortable facts. New Zealand lags behind its OECD peers in productivity, capital intensity, and economic complexity. Read more