Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Infrastructure

sustainable pipelines in autumn forest landscape
Other publications

Foreword to ‘Finance Freedom’

17 June 2026

People sometimes ask me how a think tank measures success.

close up shot of white paper
Insights

Asset recycling needs governance, not ideology

14 November 2025

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon this week opened the door to asset recycling.

body of water
The Australian

NZ’s ferry farce is proof politicians are out of depth in business

17 December 2024

Here is a simple business scenario: You operate ferries across Cook Strait, between New Zealand’s North and South Islands.

AI-generated image of many workers in high-visibility vests
Insights

A shovel-ready autopsy

10 May 2024

Cast your mind back to mid-December.

illuminated buildings
Research reports

Belt and Road Initiative: Implications for New Zealand

2 May 2024

New Zealand reportedly has an infrastructure deficit of at least $100 billion, a huge amount for a small country and a significant drag on productivity and economic growth[1].

close up photography of water flow
The Australian

Is there an ethno-segregation agenda behind NZ’s water policy?

9 June 2022

Three Waters is about everything.

New townhouses at dusk
Insights

A big step towards affordable housing

28 July 2017

The Government’s new infrastructure programme is a huge step towards housing affordability.

Passenger jet flying over an airport sign
Insights

Runway competition and entrepreneurship

4 March 2016

It should not be difficult to decide on Wellington Airport’s runway extension.

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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