Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Covid-19

Virus particles beside a strand of DNA
Insights

Learning to live with Covid-19?

14 August 2020

If the Government does not urgently improve its border handling capacity, there is no point pursuing elimination in New Zealand.

Shredded paper
The New Zealand Herald

A return to normal? Forget about it.

21 July 2020

Covid-19 is not just a medical and economic crisis.

Christine Lagarde, on the right, and Teresa Ribera.
Newsroom

Making sense of the ECB’s pandemic interventions

29 June 2020

The ECB’s policies are the macro-economic equivalent of trading on while insolvent.

Auckland Airport Domestic Terminal in 2018.
Insights

The price for overcaution

26 June 2020

New Zealand could keep its border shut regardless of whether it is possible to open it safely.

Pile of bananas
The New Zealand Herald

Let’s not go bananas over the Covid recovery

27 May 2020

New Zealand must remain clean, transparent and solid in all its economic institutions.

The Sulfur Point half of the Port of Tauranga.
Insights

International confidence matters

22 May 2020

To keep international investors’ trust, we must remain squeaky clean in our fundamental economic institutions.

Footballer kicking a ball in a stadium protected by a virus shield
Newsroom

A safe sporting haven for rent?

18 May 2020

New Zealand fought hard to beat the virus and now it deserves to seize an economic opportunity.

Beehive and Parliament House at night.
Insights

An election year budget

15 May 2020

It should have been a budget to steer New Zealand out of this economic depression.

Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd speaking at an Australia Day citizenship ceremony in 2010.
The New Zealand Herald

The ghost of Kevin Rudd

12 May 2020

First, I never want to hear another excited word about shovel-ready projects.

Photo from the Karori Community Garden in May 2020, Wellington, New Zealand.
Insights

Paving the path to recovery

1 May 2020

Our recovery path will be bumpy.

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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

  • 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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