Dr Oliver Harwich: The long estrangement

It is strange to observe a nation act irrationally and against its own interests. Stranger still when that nation is your own.

I grew up in Germany. I still think in German. Yet Germany’s political psychology feels increasingly alien to me.

Mike's Minute: The govt shouldn't have touched the carbon market

If you follow the carbon market, and you should, it is yet another lesson in the abject failure that almost certainly results in gerrymandering markets.

Four times a year you bid for credits (offsets) to counter your polluting habits.

You do this because we signed up to Paris and made a bunch of promises we were never going to be able to keep.

Dr Benno Blaschke: House prices are the new birth control

The Economist, not known for hysteria, has quietly announced that advanced economies are halving their populations every generation. A demographic magic trick. Now you see your grandchildren, now you don’t.

Naturally, everyone blames “fertility.” As though biology suddenly went on strike sometime around 1992.

Nick Clark: Fast-Tracking the Fast-Track Bill

On Monday morning, Eric Crampton and I appeared before the Environment Select Committee to present the Initiative’s submission on the Fast-Track Approvals Amendment Bill.

It is well known that the Bill, and the fast-track regime more generally, is controversial among environmentalists. Our concerns are more about process, but they are no less important.

Dr James Kierstead: Manic compression

If you enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey (either the book or the movie), there’s no guarantee that you will enjoy Fifty Shades of Grades, the research note on grade distribution at New Zealand universities that I released earlier this week.

Still, I like to think that the latter has enough titillating detail, spanking new analysis, and breath-taking climaxes (if only of series of data) to satisfy most readers.

David Farrar: What should we sell?

Newsroom has an article on the 10 SOEs that a Government could sell.

I’ve done a matrix looking at which could be best to sell.
Asset Competitive Value Sensitivity Prospects

Kerre Woodham: E-scooters, cycle lanes, and public demand

The Government's move to shift e-scooter users from the sidewalk to bike lanes is being hailed as a win for common sense. Shame it's not coming in before the Christmas party season. ACC stats for e-scooter injuries this year are close to surpassing $14 million.

 Sunday November 30, 2025 

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