Max Rashbrooke's recent research note, "High earner tax rates: New Zealand in context," makes a case that rich people in New Zealand pay less tax than they would on the same income in some of the highest-taxed countries in the world. But is this really the case? Read more

Opposition leader Chris Hipkins has said that the Labour Party is looking at campaigning in 2026 on the need for heavier taxation. Capital gains taxes, wealth taxes and a land tax are “back on the table”. Read more

Local councils and central government are in some financial difficulty. They own and operate many commercial assets with mixed objectives and mixed success. Read more

This week the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) lowered the Official Cash Rate (OCR) from 5.50% to 5.25%. Many market economists predicted this change. Read more

In recent weeks, media reports have highlighted two seemingly unrelated issues: a severe shortage of General Practitioners (GPs) and the closure of businesses due to soaring electricity prices. While these issues may appear to be distinct, they share a root cause. Read more

The record net migration loss of 60,100 New Zealand citizens in the year to May 2024 is an orange warning light for New Zealand. But fears that it represents a worrying brain drain are statistically premature. Read more

In a dramatic move this week, the government replaced the board of Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) with a commissioner. Dramatic but not much of a surprise. Read more

“And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost.” Gandalf This week and last week, The Listener ran five articles revisiting New Zealand’s economic reforms from 1984 to 1993. Four of those articles had little good to say about them, or the people who led them with such clarity, courage and determination. Read more

New Zealand has long enjoyed its reputation as one of the world's most transparent and business-friendly nations. Does it deserve this reputation? Read more