Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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June 2020

Christine Lagarde, on the right, and Teresa Ribera.
Newsroom

Making sense of the ECB’s pandemic interventions

29 June 2020

The ECB’s policies are the macro-economic equivalent of trading on while insolvent.

Auckland Airport Domestic Terminal in 2018.
Insights

The price for overcaution

26 June 2020

New Zealand could keep its border shut regardless of whether it is possible to open it safely.

Antique map with a compass
The New Zealand Herald

The West in a new cold war with itself

23 June 2020

This new Cold War could be decided not by Beijing’s victory but by the West’s suicide.

Copy of Germany's Basic Law
Newsroom

Don’t mention the ‘r’ word

16 June 2020

When legal anti-racism becomes seen as racist, something has gone horribly wrong.

Cover of the book Taking the Lead
Insights

Democracy is not a fairy-tale

12 June 2020

In its veneration of Jacinda Ardern, Taking the lead goes so far as to become boring – even for children.

Heads of government attending a European Council meeting in December 2017.
Newsroom

Nothing stops the march of European integration

2 June 2020

No other political institution in history has been built and forged as much in emergencies as the EU.

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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