Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

  • Home
  • About
  • Publications
    • Research reports
    • Speeches
    • The New Zealand Herald
    • The Australian
    • Newsroom
    • Insights
    • Quadrant
    • National Business Review (2010–2020)
    • Business Spectator (2009–2016)
    • Ideas@TheCentre (2009–2012)
    • Inside Politics (2007–2008)
    • In German
  • In the media
    • Print and online
    • TV
    • Radio
      • German radio
      • ‘Life Matters’ (2008–2011)
    • Free to Disagree podcast
    • The New Zealand Initiative podcast
    • Love me or loathe me
  • Archive
  • Gallery
  • Contact

Month: August 2017

Pile of avocados
Insights

Smashed avocados

25 August 2017

Avocados have become a cultural phenomenon which leaves economists puzzled.

Entrance to the Johnsonville shopping centre
National Business Review

Centralist reflexes run too deep

18 August 2017

Because central government is so dominant, New Zealanders instinctively look at central government to deal with their local issues.

Jacinda Ardern speaking at a lectern reading Backing the Kiwi Dream
Other publications

Die Mutter aller Wahlkämpfe

17 August 2017

Ob Jacinda Ardern die erste Regierungschefin mit Elternzeit wird, bleibt abzuwarten.

The words Be kind written in chalk
Insights

A culture of debate

11 August 2017

A reminder that political debates need to be civil and focused on the arguments is timely.

The Beehive in Wellington, New Zealand
The New Zealand Herald

Election should not be about Turei, texts or family plans

9 August 2017

New Zealand, I love you. You deserve better than another side show masquerading as an election campaign.

Shelves of files in the Stasi archive
Insights

The economics of cheating

4 August 2017

That’s what we should tell cheating students (and some developing economies): Don’t do it!

Raised fist on a red and white propaganda poster
The Dominion Post

Left faces ongoing struggle to find a point of difference

4 August 2017

Social democracy has won – and that’s its main problem.

About me

Oliver Hartwich

I run The New Zealand Initiative, a Wellington think tank that argues for free markets, limited government and institutions that work. I grew up in Germany's Ruhrgebiet and worked in London and Sydney before moving to New Zealand in 2012. This site collects two decades of my columns, reports, speeches and interviews, with the occasional satire.

More about me

Search

Browse the archive by month and topic

Subscribe

New columns by email, two or three a week. Free, and you can leave any time.

Latest video

AI, context, and New Zealand’s data center future

6 October 2026 · More videos

Latest audio

  • Newstalk ZB · 9 November 2026 · 8 min

    What the 2026 election shows about MMP

    0:00
  • Free to Disagree · 6 November 2026 · 56 min

    Why hasn’t New Zealand warmed to its prime minister?

    0:00
  • Initiative podcast · 5 November 2026 · 32 min

    Why an ageing New Zealand is an opportunity, not a burden

    0:00

All interviews and podcasts

My books

Cover of The Martian Audit

The Martian Audit (2026)

Two Martian auditors land in the Wairarapa and are promptly fined for parking without consent. A satirical novella, free to download as PDF or EPUB.

Cover of In the Meantime

In the Meantime (2026)

Investing in a more tribal, less rational world. Written for the Da Vinci Lecture at the Portfolio Construction Forum. Free to read online.

Cover of Leonardo's Legacy

Leonardo's Legacy (2025)

Why investment professionals must become civilisational stewards. Written for the first Da Vinci Lecture at the Portfolio Construction Forum. Free to read online.

Free to Disagree

Free to Disagree podcast logo, with Damien Grant and Oliver Hartwich
Weekly podcast with Damien Grant

Stay connected

  • LinkedIn
  • X
  • YouTube
  • Spotify
  • Radio interviews
  • New articles
  • Privacy
  • Log in

© Dr Oliver Hartwich

Loading Comments...