Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Helmut Kohl

Minoru Kiuchi with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the 70th anniversary of Germany's Basic Law, May 2019.
Other publications

Angela Merkel governed Germany for 16 years, but never led

26 September 2021

Merkel has governed Germany for 16 years, but she never led it.

Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Other publications

Tear Down That Euro

9 August 2019

There is one difference between a classic tragedy and Mody’s EuroTragedy.

German chancellor Angela Merkel at a public appearance in 2018.
Newsroom

Merkel’s method has run its course

9 October 2018

German leader Angela Merkel rose from obscurity with no clear ideological platform thanks to a skill at jumping on and off bandwagons, but her run of luck is over.

Flags of European countries
Business Spectator

Europe’s never-ending integration madness

28 May 2015

It may be madness to do something over and over again while expecting a different result.

Tony Abbott meeting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Other publications

Tony Abbott’s German moment

13 September 2013

If Australia wanted to draw any conclusions from the German turnaround of the past decade, there are a few.

The European Commission’s name and emblem at the Berlaymont building.
Business Spectator

The fantasy of European integration is over

13 May 2010

By putting European idealism ahead of economic concerns, Europe’s leaders have given speculators ample opportunity to exploit the weaknesses of the flawed monetary construction that is the euro.

People chipping pieces from the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Other publications

After the Wall: 20 years on

23 December 2009

The liberation of East Germany from decades of totalitarian dictatorship was a blessing.

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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