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Wellington (Tuesday, 4 November 2025) - The New Zealand Initiative today releases a research note revealing how adding GP clinic data to government databases could transform healthcare outcomes while cutting costs. The research note, “Better health through better data” by Adjunct Fellow Dr Prabani Wood, shows that while government can track hospital visits, prescriptions and even school attendance, it cannot see clearly what happens in GP clinics – where most healthcare occurs. 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

Dr Oliver Hartwich talked to Michael Laws on The Platform about New Zealand's unpreparedness for its rapidly ageing population. Dr Hartwich explained that regulatory barriers are preventing retirement villages from expanding quickly enough to meet demand, which could result in elderly patients overwhelming the hospital system. Read more

In this episode, Eric talks to Dylan Mordaunt, a clinician and visiting fellow at Victoria University, about healthcare policy and regulation in New Zealand, sparked by a recent Niskanen Centre report highlighting how supply constraints affect healthcare delivery. They explore various regulatory barriers affecting medical practitioners, scope of practice limitations, and access to medicines, while discussing how to balance public safety with increasing healthcare accessibility and capacity. Read more

In this episode, Eric Crampton and Sarah Hogan, Deputy Chief Executive at NZIER, discuss a new report estimating the social costs of alcohol in New Zealand at $9 billion, with a focus on how such figures are calculated and used in policymaking. They explore the challenges of accurately attributing costs to alcohol, debate the effectiveness of targeted interventions versus broad policies, and emphasize the importance of addressing first-order problems like fetal alcohol spectrum disorder while ensuring cost-effective approaches to reducing alcohol-related harms. Related links: Eric’s summary of the OIAs on the Stage One review of the Alcohol Levy The OIA correspondence for the Stage One review OIA for early drafts of the NZIER alcohol cost study, request of Dylan Firth, Brewers Association To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more

At our Health Innovators' Summit, Prof Lester Levy opened the event with a keynote address. Watch his presentation below. Read more

Wellington (Wednesday, 14 August 2024) - Canada’s devolution of health services to First Nations provides a strikingly different way of thinking about localism, according to Dr Eric Crampton, Chief Economist with The New Zealand Initiative. “Canada’s central government has long provided, under treaty, a ‘medicine chest’ of funded services to First Nations peoples. Read more