Dr Oliver Hartwich

Notes from New Zealand

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Urban economics

high angle view of cityscape against cloudy sky
Insights

To save our cities, ask urban economists

4 November 2022

Urban economists have explained why cities are important.

view of cityscape
Insights

Save our cities

28 October 2022

In the past two years, New Zealand’s cities have lost population while the country as a whole has grown.

Empty city street at night
Insights

Turning cities into ghost towns

28 August 2020

To avoid creating ghost towns, we must find a way of saving lives without destroying the cities they inhabit.

Town hall lit up at dusk
Business Spectator

Britain’s localist revolution

15 October 2015

George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, delivered nothing short of a revolution to the way that Britain is governed.

Apartment tower block
Insights

Good ideas take time

9 October 2015

Good ideas are more powerful than political posturing.

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, but I cannot help but wonder whether instead of talking about an extension of …

Sydney's city skyline.
Other publications

Australia’s metropolises at the crossroads

24 July 2012

Australia’s big cities are now less different (or more similar) to their neighbours in the Asia-Pacific.

The Octagon in central Dunedin.
Insights

Aristotle in Dunedin

8 June 2012

Aristotle was right. A great city does not need a big population.

People gathering outside a brewery on Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans.
Other publications

What makes great cities?

10 December 2009

Perhaps it’s time to admit humbly that the best cities usually just happen without anyone making them happen.

Blackwattle Bay in Sydney.
Other publications

Planning and the economy: a complex relationship

21 November 2008

What sounds like a paradoxical experience may not be so much of a paradox after all.

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

AI, context, and New Zealand’s data center future

6 October 2026 · More videos

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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