There was a lot to admire about the Australasian banks during the GFC. While the USA had its Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes, and the Bank of Scotland just about went broke, the banks in Australia and New Zealand never faltered. They had never really joined in the global party
Luke Redward nzinitiative.org.nz In a predictable statement earlier this week, the Green Party co-leader declared her party’s undying love for taxation. A rather Orwellian take on the libertarian war cry of “tax is theft,” Marama Davidson said those who fork out money to the state are world-saving
Sir Bob Jones nopunchespulled.com Last Saturday’s Dominion Post front-page story was about the local red-hot housing market. Lower Hutt’s biggest residential real estate firm’s boss, John Ross, was quoted saying he’d never seen a market with so much demand pressure. To various extents this is
Jacinda Ardern might (falsely) boast about her self-aggrandised “hard and early” response to COVID-19, but she is much less voluble about its economic effects – which are set to be just as hard, but much, much longer-lasting. With tourism (formerly) providing a sizable proportion of New Zealand’s economy – nearly twice
Now that we have had a more realistic political poll from Colmar Brunton, we can start to see the lie of the land regarding the upcoming election. Labour has a clear lead at 53. National is on 32. ACT is on 5%, and looks like it might hold it. NZ
Out of all the mess and panic of state government reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, a glimmer of sense is at least emerging in Tasmania. Like New Zealand, a sparsely-populated, remote island lacking substantial public transport networks, Tasmania is well-placed to avoid the worst effects of the pandemic. Nonetheless, despite
Who votes for these people? The Greens, discussing their taxation policy on TVNZ, are actually quoted as saying “Tax Is Love”. Marama Davidson actually said that. I seriously wonder what planet she is on; this type of campaigning is likely to be a big turn-off for voters, even some Green
BFD Political corner: Election 2020 is a series that features political speeches, political ads and political campaigns on Social media from a range of different political parties in the lead up to the New Zealand election. Today we have the NZ First Party: Save Tiwai Public Meeting in Invercargill Please
Alexander Gillespie University of Waikato Welcome home – now here’s your invoice. The debate over whether New Zealand should charge arriving Kiwis for quarantine has divided opinion, but one thing is clear: citizens and permanent residents have the right to return home. However, like many other liberties, this right can
Cathy Buckle cathybuckle.co.zw Dear Family and Friends, I write this letter from a bitterly cold Zimbabwe where tension is high and people are anxious. There are 300,000 civil servants in Zimbabwe. A month ago they were promised a “cushioning” allowance of US$75 a month for the
Ryan McMaken mises.org Ryan McMaken is a senior editor at the Mises Institute. Ryan has degrees in economics and political science from the University of Colorado and was a housing economist for the State of Colorado. He is the author of Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in
Last week in Parliament both Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee called on the Government to release their list of the 800 projects they say are “shovel ready”. As I pointed out in my previous article, petty squabbling in the Cabinet Room, otherwise known as the Coalition Childcare Centre, plus red
This government is not comfortable with a trade-off between COVID-19 and the economy or the environment and the economy. It’s either one extreme or the other with no meeting in the middle. One whiff of community spread and we will be sent back to lockdown, region by region. Most
Dr Eric Crampton Nathan Smith nzinitiative.org.nz Most of the country is still reeling from the drastic lockdown response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The major cities are hurting, but it’s not until one travels to rural New Zealand that the simmering economic issues appear. Chief economist Eric Crampton’
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com Fear is a natural survival instinct and arguably more motivating than logic and reason. It can also be used to great effect to shift the mindset of communities and nations. While such manipulation is, of course, not uncommon, what is surprising is how blind societies
