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Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Middle East

President Trump Postlaunch Remarks (NHQ202005300037)
Insights

The art of the contradiction

24 April 2026

On Tuesday morning, President Trump told CNBC he did not want to extend the ceasefire with Iran.

ships in suez
Insights

The right step: New Zealand’s engagement in the Middle East

26 January 2024

The Government’s decision to deploy defence force personnel to the Middle East marks a significant, yet reasonable, shift in its foreign policy.

close up of the flag of israel
Insights

Never again is now

10 November 2023

Over a month has passed since the conflict between Hamas and Israel escalated dramatically.

Tony Blair speaking with José María Aznar at a European Council meeting in 2003.
Other publications

Nahost statt Cricket – Tony Blairs neue Aufgabe in der Weltpolitik

5 July 2007

„That’s it, the end“, sprach Premierminister Tony Blair am Ende der letzten parlamentarischen Fragestunde seiner über zehnjährigen Amtszeit, und das Unterhaus spendete ihm Standing Ovations.

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

  • Free to Disagree · 12 November 2026 · 59 min

    Can the overhang save National?

    0:00
  • 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

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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