Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Month: December 2018

Grinch figure in a Christmas jumper
Insights

Time to un-Grinch

21 December 2018

From a policy perspective, New Zealand’s 2018 was not quite as eventful as most observers predicted.

Panorama of the Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium taken in June 2018.
Newsroom

A continent on the brink

18 December 2018

No matter where you look, Europe is facing serious challenges.

A classroom building in Opawa School, New Zealand.
Insights

Centralism attacks Tomorrow’s Schools

13 December 2018

In one area of public policy, New Zealand is much devolved: education.

Lit candles on a birthday cake.
Insights

The final frontier of self-determination

7 December 2018

In our enlightened society, it should be a human right to determine one’s age.

Maj Gen Andrew C Gainey visits Military Intelligence certification exercise on Caserma Ederle.
Newsroom

Europe’s defence shambles

4 December 2018

Europe’s middling defence capacity is no match for the continent’s lofty political ambitions.

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.

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Latest video

All TV appearances · Playlist on YouTube

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

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