Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Month: June 2021

men in black and red cade hats and military uniform
Newsroom

From Russia, with an agenda

29 June 2021

Europe’s new cold war is different.

tax documents on the table
Insights

When is a tax a tax?

18 June 2021

Imagine your dues to government not as taxes.

antique bills business cash
Newsroom

The next Euro crisis has just begun

15 June 2021

Just as Europe’s economies are emerging from the Covid-19 recession, the next big European crisis is already visible on the horizon.

wood writing luxury business
Insights

An awake press asking questions

11 June 2021

To land a top job, having a stand-out CV helps.

climate people street crowd
The New Zealand Herald

The problem with Climate Commission chair Rod Carr’s economic argument

8 June 2021

The problem with economics is that it often uses a language that non-economists do not speak.

An unused design for New Zealand currency from Archives New Zealand.
Insights

News from the Unreserved Bank

4 June 2021

The Minister of Finance and the Reserve Bank Governor should urgently reaffirm what the role of the RBNZ ought to be.

Federal Palace in Bern.
Newsroom

It’s not all about the money

1 June 2021

Last week, following six years of intense negotiations, the Swiss government pulled out of the talks on a new treaty.

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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