Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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June 2022

silver round coins on banknote
The New Zealand Herald

The inflation lesson we failed to learn from

29 June 2022

It is a pity we hardly teach history anymore.

turkey flag hanging on bridge
Newsroom

Why Europe’s next war could be between Greece and Turkey

28 June 2022

At the moment, a war between Greece and Turkey seems unlikely because it would be an all-around catastrophe.

brown wooden gavel on brown wooden table
Insights

The jury is out

23 June 2022

I still believe in trial by jury.

Banknote designs with Māori motifs
The Australian

NZ Reserve Bank virtue signalling rings hollow

21 June 2022

No amount of virtue signalling and cultural appropriation can be a substitute for good policy-making.

The trunk of Tāne Mahuta, the giant kauri in the Waipoua Forest.
Insights

Māori deserve better than the RBNZ’s cultural appropriation

17 June 2022

Māori are not responsible for a central bank that has lost its way.

man s black blazer and brown traditional hat
Newsroom

Europe’s path to Mexico’s debt crisis

14 June 2022

The moderate increases in the European Central Bank’s interest rates are far from being brutal but the writing is on the wall that Europe’s monetary party is about to end …

person putting coin in a piggy bank
The New Zealand Herald

Back to the supply-side future

9 June 2022

Deregulation, privatisation, lower taxes, free trade, and openness to trade and investment may have fallen out of fashion recently.

close up photography of water flow
The Australian

Is there an ethno-segregation agenda behind NZ’s water policy?

9 June 2022

Three Waters is about everything.

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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