Smashed avocados
Avocados have become a cultural phenomenon which leaves economists puzzled. [...]
Australia
Australia has lost the election
There are two losers in the Australian election: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. And Australia. [...]
Time for an Anzac travel area
If Australia and New Zealand agreed on a Common Travel Area, it would cut travel times significantly: Later check-ins, no more transfers between international and domestic terminals for connections, less hassle. [...]
Turnbull’s New Zealand role model
The reformer’s job is never done, and there is plenty to do. Malcolm Turnbull knows this, and John Key should not forget it [...]
All that glitters is not a golden visa
Ideally, a visa granted should benefit both the migrant and the recipient country - and neither party should have to pay for this win-win situation. [...]
Parity party an opportunity for reflection
Is parity between the Kiwi and the Aussie dollars a reason to celebrate or a to be worried? And shouldn't we just take the opportunity to reflect on how we got there? [...]
Australia’s destabilisation a concern for NZ
Australian politics always enjoys a reputation for being just a little more vicious than elsewhere. You only need to think of the way in which Abbott’s Labor predecessors Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard fought each other between 2008 and 2014. But even by Australian standards, recent developments across the Tasman were quite brutal. [...]
Australiens Party ist vorbei
Während Australien sich auf seinen Reform-Lorbeeren ausruhte, haben die Neuseeländer erfolgreich einen neuen Modernisierungspfad beschritten. Die Australier müssen es ihnen nun nachtun, wenn sie eine erfolgreiche Nation in der vom Pazifik geprägten Weltwirtschaft des 21. Jahrhunderts bleiben möchten. [...]
Reforms are still possible … but they take time
Mr Key’s defining strategy is one of incremental radicalism. It resists any bold rhetoric or big picture reforms. In their stead, reforms are taken one step at a time. This enables the government to make its case and take the public along a journey. [...]
New Zealand’s quiet achievers
New Zealand’s future prosperity depends on the degree to which public opinion will support productivity-enhancing reforms and on the quality of political leadership in building constituencies for reform and implementing acceptable reforms. The same can be said about Australia, where reforms are much more urgent now. [...]