The New Zealand Initiative
Podcast by The New Zealand Initiative
Episodes
May 15, 2025 • 38 mins
In this episode, Michael and James discuss institutional neutrality in universities, examining how the Education and Training Act Amendment Bill addresses universities' ability to take official positions on political matters.
They analyse Otago University's draft statement on institutional neutrality, exploring the distinction between universities "taking positions" versus "making statements" on controversial issues, and consider ...
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May 7, 2025 • 24 mins
In this episode, James and Michael discuss how the Education Training Amendment Bill transforms school governance in New Zealand. They examine the bill's shift to make student learning the paramount objective for school boards, new requirements to address truancy through attendance management plans, and enhanced assessment standards to improve educational outcomes.
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April 29, 2025 • 34 mins
In this episode, Oliver interviews Scott Scoullar, Chief Executive of Summerset, about New Zealand's looming aged care crisis with a projected shortfall of 7,000-8,000 beds by 2030 despite increasing elderly demographics. They discuss how retirement villages provide cost-effective care solutions, the regulatory hurdles of building new facilities, and the urgent need for better dialogue between the aged care sector and government po...
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April 23, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode, Oliver talks to Nick about his submission regarding New Zealand's proposed parliamentary term extension from three to four years.
Nick supports the concept of longer terms but criticises the current proposal's complicated conditional approach, arguing instead for a straightforward extension that should also apply to local government.
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April 22, 2025 • 37 mins
In this episode, Eric discusses credit card interchange fees with NERA's James Mellsop, who argues that the Commerce Commission's proposed regulation capping these fees could harm competition and innovation despite aiming to benefit consumers.
They express concern that the Commission's narrow focus on allocative efficiency overlooks the dynamic benefits of interchange fees in financing innovation and new market entrants, potentia...
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April 16, 2025 • 34 mins
In this podcast, Michael and James critique proposed amendments to New Zealand's Education and Training Act that aim to protect academic freedom in universities, arguing the legislation lacks meaningful enforcement mechanisms to hold institutions accountable.
They discuss potential improvements including a "free speech czar," legal recourse for violations, and eliminating loopholes that allow universities to restrict controversial...
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April 10, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode, Oliver Hartwich interviews the New Zealand Initiative's newest recruit, Benno Blaschke, exploring his extraordinary journey from his Austrian upbringing to becoming passionate about urban economics and housing affordability in New Zealand.
They discuss Benno's unique background spanning contemplative practice, academic study, and public service roles before joining the Initiative to contribute to solving housing ...
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April 2, 2025 • 21 mins
In this episode, Oliver Hartwich interviews Dr Prabani Wood, who has worked as a GP in New Zealand for 15 years and discusses her report "The Heart of Healthcare," advocating for greater recognition of primary care's value in New Zealand's healthcare system. Dr Wood explains how continuous GP-patient relationships improve health outcomes and reduce costs, while highlighting challenges facing general practice including the inadequat...
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April 1, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode, Michael Johnston interviews Katherine Hall, Executive Director of ConCOVE (Construction and Infrastructure Centre of Vocational Excellence), about the challenges facing vocational education and apprenticeships in New Zealand. They discuss systemic issues including poor completion rates, funding problems, and cultural stigma compared to university pathways, along with potential solutions inspired by Germany's dual t...
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March 27, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode, Michael talks to Professor Barbara Oakley, a McGraw Prize recipient, New York Times bestselling author and creater of the world's largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with over 5 million students.
They discuss evidence-based approaches to mathematics education and the problems with constructivist teaching methods, while outlining their mission to support New Zealand's new knowledge-rich curriculum through wor...
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March 20, 2025 • 38 mins
In this episode, Eric talks to Patrick Phelps, Manager at Minerals West Coast, about the complex challenges of rural council governance including infrastructure costs, heritage regulations, and voter apathy. They discuss how small towns struggle with funding vital services across widely dispersed communities while managing political incentives that often lead to misplaced priorities and wasteful spending.
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March 18, 2025 • 24 mins
In this episode, Oliver Hartwich interviews Michael about his new research report "Trade Routes," which examines how New Zealand can improve its apprenticeship system by adopting elements of Germany's dual education model.
They discuss the stark contrast between Germany's highly respected apprenticeship system (with 50% participation) and New Zealand's underdeveloped approach (with just 6% participation), along with Michael's prac...
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March 13, 2025 • 55 mins
In this episode, Oliver Hartwich and former Australian Department of Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo discuss growing regional security threats, with Pezzullo warning of a 10-20% chance of conflict with China while advocating for an integrated ANZAC military force.
Pezzullo argues that New Zealand should reconsider its anti-nuclear stance to join AUKUS as a full partner, increase its defence spending beyond the current 1.2%...
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March 6, 2025 • 10 mins
In this episode, Oliver interviews Jemma Stevenson, a new economist at The New Zealand Initiative, about her background and current research on government inefficiency.
Jemma is working on a sequel to the Initiative's research on "Cabinet Congestion," examining whether New Zealand's complex government structure of 81 portfolios and 28 ministers leads to increased spending compared to more streamlined systems like Norway's.
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February 27, 2025 • 16 mins
In this episode, Oliver talks to Bryce about his new report "The People's Portfolio", which examines New Zealand's $571 billion in Crown-owned assets and makes the case for privatising many of them to improve economic efficiency rather than simply raising funds.
They discuss how current government ownership of these assets is actually costing taxpayers money, the historical success of privatisations like Telecom, and the challenge...
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February 26, 2025 • 34 mins
In this episode, Eric talks to Marko Garlick about how New Zealand's local government planning and zoning regulations create anti-competitive conditions in the retail sector, particularly for supermarkets.
They explore specific examples of bizarre regulatory barriers to market entry and discuss potential solutions to enable more competition, such as national policy statements and amendments to the Commerce Act.
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February 19, 2025 • 35 mins
In this episode, Michael and Oliver sound the alarm about the transformation of global power following a February 2025 phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin, where the US reportedly conceded to Russia's demands over Ukraine without consulting European allies.
They examine what they see as the collapse of the post-WWII liberal democratic order and its dire implications for Europe, the Pacific region, and New Zealand's futu...
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February 13, 2025 • 46 mins
In this episode, James and Michael talk to Stephanie Martin from the Free Speech Union (and also the New Zealand Initiative) about a Law Commission consultation paper on hate crime legislation.
The discussion examines the shift from treating hate as an aggravating factor in sentencing to creating specific hate crime offenses, while exploring philosophical questions about hate motivation and concerns about free speech implications.
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January 27, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode, James, Eric and Oliver critique Dame Anne Salmond's Newsroom article that characterises the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill as part of a broader neoliberal agenda to undermine democracy in New Zealand.
They challenge both Salmond's immediate criticisms of the bill (which they argue misrepresents its regulatory quality focus) and her broader historical argument linking classical liberal organisations like the M...
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January 23, 2025 • 22 mins
In this episode, Oliver talks to Bryce about the Regulatory Standards Bill, which aims to prevent laws and regulations that would make New Zealanders worse off. Bryce explains that while there's currently a discussion document out for public feedback from the Ministry of Regulation, some recent criticisms misunderstand what's being suggested.
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