Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Competition

A Countdown supermarket in central Auckland.
Insights

There is no magic in numbers

17 April 2014

Whether there is enough competition in the New Zealand retail sector, is hard to tell.

Customers and stallholders at Maungaturoto Markets in New Zealand.
Insights

‘C’ is for competition

14 March 2014

To promote competition, the most important things regulators can do is to just let it evolve.

A conference room in the European Commission's Berlaymont building.
Business Spectator

Caught in Europe’s competition dark ages

14 March 2013

Antitrust law never really made much sense anyway unless you believe in the possibility of economics textbook style ‘perfect competition’.

A Watt-type steam engine on display.
Ideas@TheCentre

Patently absurd

23 September 2011

Patents, far from protecting technological progress, have become a tool for blocking innovation.

The town hall in Zurzach, Switzerland.
Business Spectator

Learning from Europe’s competitive spirit

14 July 2011

Competition between political entities, whether they are countries, states or cities, has correctly been identified as one of the fundamental conditions for creating prosperity.

The interior of Leadenhall Market in London.
Other publications

Ripped off and overcharged? Not necessarily

2 February 2010

Consumers have no right to demand a certain price.

Cover of the book Wettbewerb, Werbung und Recht by Oliver Marc Hartwich
Research reports

Wettbewerb, Werbung und Recht

15 March 2004

Advertising is a competitive tool.

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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

  • Free to Disagree · 12 November 2026 · 59 min

    Can the overhang save National?

    0:00
  • 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

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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