Dr Oliver Hartwich

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Month: November 2022

European Union stars under a stormy sky
Newsroom

Europe faces new year of political instability and war

29 November 2022
The continent ends 2022 with a war in its east, grappling with political uncertainty, and plagued by high inflation. It has been a year many Europeans would prefer to forget.

[…]

empty hospital beds
Insights

It’s cruel only to sound kind

25 November 2022
Before I hear one more grand vision from this Government, I would love to see them tackle at least one problem satisfactorily.

[…]

art statue sculpture decoration
The Australian

Some more equal than others? NZ has more in common with Orwell than the Magna Carta

24 November 2022
times are changing, and in few places are they changing as rapidly as in New Zealand. Something radically different is emerging in New Zealand’s legal system.

[…]

abundance bank bank notes banking
Newsroom

The Catch-22 rules of the Euro Monopoly game

15 November 2022
To make the Eurozone more stable, it would be desirable to have stricter and enforceable rules. But because it is so unstable, no such rules can ever be introduced.

[…]

text on shelf
The New Zealand Herald

Once world-class, NZ’s education system is now a disaster. How do we fix it?

9 November 2022
The challenge for the current generation of politicians is to have the courage to admit just how bad our education system has become. And then they need to have the courage to discard what is wrong and start again.

[…]

New Zealand banknotes and coins
The Australian

Inflation and the smoking gun in the case of NZ’s central bank

8 November 2022
Never in the past two decades has the RBNZ deviated so much from where it should have set its OCR. The difference is so enormous, it calls into question the RBNZ’s professional judgement.

[…]

high angle view of cityscape against cloudy sky
Insights

To save our cities, ask urban economists

4 November 2022
Urban economists have explained why cities are important. They have also told us how to make them work better. Now we just need politicians, bureaucrats and city planners to listen to them.

[…]

white concrete building during night time
Newsroom

How Germany’s political failures enabled Putin’s war

1 November 2022
Yes, “harder years, tough years” are coming for Germany. But they could be all the harder because the country’s leadership still is not ready to acknowledge its past failures or to apply the lessons to its future policy settings.

[…]

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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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.

Latest video

AI, context, and New Zealand’s data center future

6 October 2026 · More videos

Latest audio

  • Newstalk ZB · 9 November 2026 · 8 min

    What the 2026 election shows about MMP

    Listen
  • Free to Disagree · 6 November 2026 · 56 min

    Why hasn’t New Zealand warmed to its prime minister?

    Listen
  • Initiative podcast · 5 November 2026 · 32 min

    Why an ageing New Zealand is an opportunity, not a burden

    Listen

All interviews and podcasts

Free to Disagree

Free to Disagree podcast logo, with Damien Grant and Oliver Hartwich
Weekly podcast with Damien Grant

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