Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Month: February 2022

protester holding sign with stop putin on it
Insights

Our generation’s historic challenge

25 February 2022

We must rediscover the cultural and political foundations of our civilisation.

Butter and margarine with price labels in a New Zealand supermarket.
The New Zealand Herald

An inflation crisis of the Government’s making

22 February 2022

What if the same politicians now trying to save us from high prices caused our current situation?

glass window with metal frame
Newsroom

Self-absorbed West needs reality check on actual existential threats

22 February 2022

It may be a good time for a reality check, especially in Western industrialised countries.

woman getting a job interview
Insights

Transparency, please

18 February 2022

Now, New Zealand is not a developing country.

grayscale photo of man
Insights

Central planning through the backdoor

11 February 2022

If you thought central planning was buried with the fall of communism, you should look at the European Union.

atomic power station in overcast weather
Newsroom

Taxonomic vandalism, EU-style

8 February 2022

When the EU embarked on developing its own taxonomy, maybe it should have consulted with a few biologists.

woman holding book with blank pages
Insights

Intentionally blank

4 February 2022

The world needs more courage to draw a blank.

British PM Boris Johnson greets VP Mike Pence.
Newsroom

Boris Johnson flies close to the sun as Icarus in Downing Street

1 February 2022

Johnson was respected, even loved, for being Boris, the clown-like persona he had created.

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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