Dr Oliver Hartwich

The most exciting breakthrough of 2022

There are some moments when you know the world will never be the same. The invention of motorised flight was one such moment. The beginning of the World Wide Web was another. The year 2022 was a such turning point for artificial intelligence. [...]

Economics for extraordinary times

The combination of economic turmoil and the Government’s political weakness may be a toxic combination. [...]

NZ’s most transparent government? Under Jacinda Ardern it’s the opposite

Despite a stated intention to bring public participation and transparency to New Zealand’s democracy, none of this has been achieved. Ardern’s government stands for the opposite. [...]

Three Waters bill, Covid fund allocation may be legal but not in spirit of democracy

New Zealand has a good democratic system. With the right democratic spirit, our country will blossom as a true liberal democracy. [...]

Europe faces new year of political instability and war

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. [...]

It’s cruel only to sound kind

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

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

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. [...]

The Catch-22 rules of the Euro Monopoly game

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. [...]

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

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. [...]

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

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. [...]