The Australian
NZ shows how not to run a census
Two thousand years ago, according to St Luke, Emperor Augustus decreed that all the world should be registered. A carpenter and his pregnant wife walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem to comply.
Statistics
Insights
The revolving door at the end of the Pacific
Nearly three in ten New Zealand residents were born overseas. In our 29-country comparison, only Singapore, Switzerland and Australia have larger shares of foreign-born residents.
The Australian
Australia’s economic future is on display in NZ’s present
As an economics student in Germany in the 1990s, I kept encountering two countries at the other end of the world. Whenever a professor wanted to prove that reform was possible, the examples were Australia and New Zealand.
The New Zealand Herald
Australian workers produce in 39 minutes what a New Zealand worker produces in an hour. We need to do better.
A fortnight ago, I wrote in these pages about the fall in New Zealand’s road toll, from 843 deaths in 1973 to a provisional 271 last year.
Research reports
New Zealand by Comparison
Two weeks ago, New Zealand by Numbers asked whether New Zealand was improving.
Insights
Memory is a terrible statistician
Nostalgia is a wonderful state of mind but, almost by definition, it glorifies the past while ignoring things that were not so good.
The New Zealand Herald
Housing affordability and productivity must be tackled to keep NZ moving forward
In 1973, 843 people died on New Zealand roads. Last year, with far more people driving far more cars, the provisional toll was 272.
Research reports
New Zealand by Numbers 2026
Is New Zealand a country in decline or a quiet success story? A new report from The New Zealand Initiative argues it is neither. Only the long view shows what is really happening.New Zealand by Numbers, released today and edited by Dr Oliver Hartwich and Dr Bryce Wilkinson, traces more than a hundred indicators of New Zealand life, most reaching back to 1970 and beyond.Some findings defy the national mood.
National Business Review
Relevant statistics you can trust
If you have not noticed it yet, 2013 is the International Year of Statistics. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Statistics New Zealand invited me to speak at a breakfast event on the trustworthiness of statistics.
Insights
Language competence is a benefit
For countries whose official language is English, there may not be the immediate business imperative to learn other languages since world trade is dominated by English. Despite this, other English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia are realising the benefits of language instruction and promoting second languages at school.