In the mood for policy change
To sum up the Mood of the Boardroom, there is an appetite for change in the business community. Not necessarily in a party-political sense but certainly in policy terms. [...]
Localism
The power of ideas
"The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else.” [...]
Centralist reflexes run too deep
Because central government is so dominant, New Zealanders instinctively look at central government to deal with their local issues. [...]
A tale of two countries
We have a choice in New Zealand if we are satisfied with our status quo and content to keep fighting the same old political battles for the next decades. Alternatively, we could break out of our old ways and try something radically new. [...]
Swiss success: Small is beautiful
If Prime Minister John Key really wanted to turn New Zealand into the Switzerland of the South Pacific, this is what he should do. [...]
The benefits of going local
It is high time we brought policy-making closer to local communities. Let's follow the British example and end the love affair with centralised control. Let's allow local councils to take charge of their own matters. [...]
Zoned in
What if New Zealand's towns and cities had the freedom to deviate from national legislation? [...]
Britain’s localist revolution
George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, delivered nothing short of a revolution to the way that Britain is governed. A radical devolution of power and money from central government in London to the cities of the UK has begun. [...]
Incentives for local government needed
It is vital that well-performing, growth friendly councils get rewarded for their actions. In this way, we can turn councils into enablers of economic development. [...]
Incentives trump all else
Imagine if both local and central government tax revenues reflected economic performance more directly. Under such a system, we would see a different attitude of local communities to a range of activities from mining to housing. [...]