One of the pleasures of my job as Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative is hosting events with Ministers explaining their new policies to our members. Last week, we hosted Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden at our annual retreat. Read more
About a quarter century ago, my to-be wife introduced me to a card game called Flux. It was popular among the computer science and engineering students in Pittsburgh. Read more
I am always glad that I am not an economic forecaster. Most people’s exposure to economists is radio or newspaper bits from bank economists making their best guesses about economic growth, the unemployment rate, or the track for interest rates. Read more
On Newstalk ZB, Trish Sherson discussed New Zealand's defence situation with reference to the Initiative's podcast featuring Dr Oliver Hartwich and former Australian Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo. Trish emphasised that New Zealand can no longer rely on geographical isolation for security and needs to mature in its approach to regional defence responsibilities. Read more
My previous columns critiquing President Donald Trump’s constitutional overreach and foreign policy blunders prompted some readers to suggest I had failed to grasp the President’s strategic brilliance. Trump, they insisted, was playing four-dimensional chess while the rest of us fumbled with checkers. Read more
Struggling to think of a good topic for a humorous column this week, I unexpectedly got a major break when my name was – unbelievably – added to a Signal messaging group of top New Zealand government officials. The texts reveal the magnitude of some of the problems that New Zealand politicians have to deal with. Read more
The pendulum theory of politics suggests that policies often swing from one extreme to another without finding a balanced middle ground. Consider New Zealand’s supermarkets. Read more
Health Minister Brown's primary care package takes aim at the country's critical GP shortage. He is right to be concerned. Read more
Dr Prabani Wood spoke to Michael Laws on The Platform about her latest report "The Heart of Healthcare: Renewing New Zealand's Primary Care System". Watch below. Read more
This report highlights the economic benefits of investing in general practice, finding significant potential to ease pressure on hospitals and improve patient care. The Heart of Healthcare: Renewing New Zealand's Primary Care System examines the economic case for strengthening GP services, as Health Minister Simeon Brown recently announced initiatives to address GP shortages. Read more
Last November, Germany’s “traffic light” coalition collapsed and snap elections were called for February 2025. I dutifully registered to vote as a German living abroad. Read more
In this episode, Oliver Hartwich interviews Dr Prabani Wood, who has worked as a GP in New Zealand for 15 years and discusses her report "The Heart of Healthcare," advocating for greater recognition of primary care's value in New Zealand's healthcare system. Dr Wood explains how continuous GP-patient relationships improve health outcomes and reduce costs, while highlighting challenges facing general practice including the inadequate capitation funding model and antiquated systems. Read Dr Prabani Wood's research note "The Heart of Healthcare: Renewing New Zealand's Primary Care System" here. Read more
Imagine that you had to sell your house in a desperate hurry – Melbourne beckons, and the job there starts soon. Some things that would help the sale go ahead would be well worth doing. Read more
In this episode, Michael interviews Katherine Hall, Executive Director of ConCOVE (Construction and Infrastructure Centre of Vocational Excellence), about the challenges facing vocational education and apprenticeships in New Zealand. They discuss systemic issues including poor completion rates, funding problems, and cultural stigma compared to university pathways, along with potential solutions inspired by Germany's dual training system. Read more
Winning an election can still mean losing control. This paradox is playing out in Germany right now. Read more