Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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David Seymour

the beehive building in wellington new zealand
The Australian

What happens when good governance becomes the enemy

18 June 2025

Something odd is happening in New Zealand.

man with painted face
The Australian

Lessons for Australia in NZ’s polarising Treaty debate

19 November 2024

For decades, Australian advocates for indigenous reconciliation have pointed to New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi as a model.

flowing waterfalls
The New Zealand Herald

David Seymour’s regulation decimation could learn a thing or two from Iceland

7 December 2023

In the rugged landscapes of Thingvellir National Park, just outside Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, lies a reminder of a simpler time in governance.

close up photo of skewered sausage on tray
The New Zealand Herald

The politics of legal sausage-making

13 April 2021

The business of legislation is murky.

The Reichstag building in Berlin with the German flag
Insights

Accidental success is not a strategy

2 March 2018

If David Seymour follows his own instincts, his party would easily be more appealing than a party relying on protest votes.

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

AI, context, and New Zealand’s data center future

6 October 2026 · More videos

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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