Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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April 2024

a group of soldiers holding rifles
Newsroom

Europe will not be able to fight the return of conscription

30 April 2024

More than two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shattered the continent’s illusion of perpetual peace, Europe finds itself confronting a once-unthinkable question: is it time to bring back the draft?

Engraving of Immanuel Kant
Insights

A birthday toast to a long-dead philosopher

26 April 2024

I may have been the only New Zealander to raise a glass on Monday to the 300th birthday of Immanuel Kant.

Dr. Vandi Verma visit to STEM Day with High School Students at University of Auckland on 17 September 2024 - 12.
The Australian

New Zealand’s education revolution

24 April 2024

In New Zealand, one of the most exciting education reforms in the world is quietly getting underway.

people holding banner
Newsroom

Swiss climate ruling full of holes

16 April 2024

Once upon a time, it was the role of parliaments to make laws, governments to execute them, and the role of courts to uphold them.

houses near road
The Australian

Jacinda Ardern did one thing right – and Australia could learn from it

10 April 2024

If you are an Australian struggling to afford a home, I have good news from across the ditch: New Zealand is building its way out of its housing crisis.

herd of white and black cows on grass field
Newsroom

More beef with the European Union

2 April 2024

New Zealand has finally achieved a free trade agreement with the EU.

the sun sets over the city of wellington
Quadrant

Luxon’s Leap: New Zealand after Ardern

1 April 2024

“All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs.”

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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