The New Zealand Initiative

Several large companies recently received hefty government handouts to install new boilers and heaters. This was all under the guise of decarbonisation, using money earmarked for the country’s Covid recovery. Oliver Hartwich speaks to Ben Craven about this blatant corporate welfare and BusinessNZ’s poor response.

Putin’s influence has helped the rise of Marine Le Pen. But his political vehicles are not limited to the Far Right. Oliver Hartwich joins Ben Craven to discuss the recent French election, Putin’s wide-ranging meddling in Europe, and what the West should do to counter foreign influence in domestic politics.

Ben Craven interviews Dr Michael Johnston about his recent presentation at The New Zealand Initiative Members’ Retreat. The pair discuss the disturbing trends of cancel culture and the erosion of academic freedom. They also touch on the troubling mental health issues that are increasingly common among university students.

Are the days of large news outlets now in the past? If so, what does that mean for our shared experiences and understanding of what is and isn’t news? And how does news become news anyway? Sean Plunket from The Platform and Dr Catherine Strong from Massey University presented their views of the media at The New Zealand Initiative Members’ Retreat. Ben Craven sat down with both Sean and Catherine at the Retreat to talk about the current state of New Zealand’s media and what they see happening in the future.

Oliver Hartwich talks to Alex Sundakov from Castalia Advisors about his experiences in both countries, how the Soviet era cast a long shadow over their national identities, and why there might be some small positive to come out of the terrible conflict in Ukraine. Mr Sundakov was previously the International Monetary Fund’s resident representative to Ukraine and maintains strong connections to the country.

Oliver Hartwich joins Ben Craven to discuss Germany’s response to the war in Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently threw out three decades’ worth of German foreign policy dogmas. His “Zeitenwende” (turning of the times) proposed a large increase in military spending, provision of military arms to Ukraine, and a phasing out of Russian energy imports. But have the new Social Democrat Chancellor’s actions matched his rhetoric?

Oliver Hartwich joins Ben Craven on the podcast to reflect on ten years of The New Zealand Initiative. The pair discuss the highlights over the years, the Initiative’s influence on policy debates, and share with listeners a few hard-case stories along the way.

Kiwi households are paying more than $3,000 extra on essentials than they were 12 months ago, and policies implemented by the Government and Reserve Bank are contributing to the problem. Matt Burgess talks to Oliver Hartwich about his latest research note. The pair discuss the policies that have exacerbated Kiwis’ cost-of-living pressures and predict what we can expect to see in the near future.

Earlier this week, Climate Change Minister James Shaw was interviewed by Andrew Dickens on Newstalk ZB about our latest research, Pretence of Necessity: Why further climate change action isn’t needed and won’t help. The Minister made some dubious claims during his interview. Report author Matt Burgess sat down with Oliver Hartwich to address each of the Minister’s points and clear up his confusion.

Is New Zealand’s Net Zero carbon emissions target of 2050 likely or achievable? Will electric vehicle subsidies and similar policies help us get there? Matt Burgess joins Ben Craven to talk through the findings of his latest research report, Pretence of Necessity: Why further climate change action isn’t needed and won’t help. Read Matt’s report on the NZ Initiative website, www.nzinitiative.org.nz