Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Transport

commuters inside a city bus in wroclaw
Insights

The twenty-dollar week

19 June 2026

For months, commentators had one demand of Labour: stop holding your fire and show us some policy.Last week, Labour obliged.

Interislander ferries in the style of a spy film poster
Insights

Talking in code

15 August 2025

At the Initiative, we read the latest economic research, so you do not have to.

NZ Parliament House.
Insights

Budgeting analysis

29 January 2021

Cost-benefit analysis, often loathed by Ministers, serves the public interest.

A protest in favour of building the City Rail Link (rail tunnel under Auckland CBD) by the Greens Party.
Insights

Caution needed on value capture

4 May 2018

As tempting it may appear to tap into land value uplifts, we need to be cautious.

View of Auckland Sklyline.
National Business Review

Challenges stack up for super minister

17 November 2017

There is no more challenging task than making New Zealand’s cities thrive in the global era of urbanisation.

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.

Auckland harbour at night
Insights

Location, Location, Location

27 March 2015

I am not from Auckland, nor can I claim to be an expert on port operations …

An Interislander ferry serving the route between New Zealand's North and South Islands.
Insights

Why ferries should not be a political issue

24 January 2014

A privatised Interislander would face the pressures of the market without any obstacles or lifelines from politics.

Traffic on a New Zealand motorway.
Insights

Infrastructure quality more important than speed

5 April 2013

New Zealand should have a debate about its motorways.

Terminals and transport infrastructure at Sydney Airport.
Ideas@TheCentre

Unanswered infrastructure prayers

8 April 2011

This week produced more news about big infrastructure projects for Sydney.

Posts pagination

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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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