New Zealand – Dr Oliver Hartwich

The salt in the soup of democracy

Perhaps the election of Judith Collins to the National leadership does not change her party’s immediate electoral prospects. National is still fighting an uphill battle to unseat an extremely popular Prime Minister. [...]

A Green path to the fringe

For the Greens’ long-term success, the party would be wise not to focus on its fringe supporters –which might just get the party over the 5 percent threshold – but instead on the centre of society which could make the Greens a mainstream force [...]

The price for overcaution

New Zealand could keep its border shut regardless of whether it is possible to open it safely. But that would mean repeating the mistake it made during lockdown. [...]

Democracy is not a fairy-tale

In its veneration of Jacinda Ardern, Taking the lead goes so far as to become boring – even for children. [...]

Sneaking a preview of our economic future

Based on real-time data from the economy, a small team of researchers around Professor Christoph Schumacher has created a model to estimate current GDP as it happens. [...]

Let’s not go bananas over the Covid recovery

New Zealand must remain clean, transparent and solid in all its economic institutions. We are not a banana republic, and we do not want to become one. [...]

International confidence matters

To keep international investors’ trust, we must remain squeaky clean in our fundamental economic institutions. If we are not, New Zealand will come out of the Covid-19 crisis as a broken economy and a failed state. [...]

Neuseelands Politik der Panik

Kaum ein Land hat in der Corona-Krise so positiv auf sich aufmerksam gemacht wie Neuseeland und seine Premierministerin Jacinda Ardern. Sie wurde dafür gefeiert, wie souverän sie das Virus besiegt hat. Bei genauem Blick entpuppt sich das Wunder als Medienhype. [...]

A safe sporting haven for rent?

New Zealand fought hard to beat the virus and now it deserves to seize an economic opportunity. Safely and selectively, the border can be re-opened to anyone prepared to undergo a strict quarantine – whether they are football players, investors or students. [...]

An election year budget

It should have been a budget to steer New Zealand out of this economic depression. But it reads like a budget in an election year. [...]