The New Zealand Initiative

Jan 27 2025 263 ep. 27 mins 1.2k
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Podcast by The New Zealand Initiative

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Responding to Salmond: Democracy, Classical Liberalism, and the Regulatory Standards Bill

Jan 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

What the Regulatory Standards Bill really means

Jan 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.

2024: A year of hard truths

Dec 19 2024 25 mins  
In this episode, Oliver, Eric and Michael reflect on New Zealand's key policy achievements in 2024, including education reform, housing policy changes, and foreign direct investment liberalisation, while discussing the significant economic challenges facing the country. They explore Ireland's successful foreign investment strategy, necessary reforms to address structural deficits,

From Dependency to Development: A First Nations Governance Success Story

Dec 17 2024 40 mins  
In this episode, Eric talks to Chief Derek Epp of the Ch'iyáqtel (Tzeachten) First Nation about how his community gained extensive autonomy through Canada's First Nations fiscal institutions, enabling them to control their own zoning, development, and taxation. Chief Epp explains how this framework helped his 750-member band transform from 90% federal dependency to 90% own-source

Making Local Government Work

Dec 09 2024 33 mins  
In this episode, Oliver and Nick discuss the fundamental problems with New Zealand's local government system, particularly how elected officials often lack real power while unelected bureaucrats and chief executives wield excessive influence. Nick's new report "Making Local Government Work" proposes five potential solutions, ranging from implementing a German-style "Super Mayor" m

Why Doubt Makes Democracy Stronger

Dec 09 2024 29 mins  
In this episode, Michael talks to Travis Brown, a filmmaker who explores how different ideologies can lead to polarisation and dogmatic thinking, drawing from his own experiences in both fundamentalist Christian and leftist circles. The two discuss how growing political division threatens democracy and examine Brown's doco "When in Doubt," which demonstrates how embracing doubt an

NZ's ETS Forest Controls

Dec 05 2024 36 mins  
In this episode, Eric talks to Elizabeth Heeg from the Forest Owners Association about New Zealand's new restrictions on forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme. They discuss why using ETS controls to address local forestry concerns is problematic, examining implementation challenges and arguing that these issues would be better handled through local land use planning.

The Long Road to Better Regulation

Nov 28 2024 21 mins  
In this podcast episode, Eric and Bryce discuss the history of regulatory reform efforts in New Zealand since 2001, focusing on the development of the Regulatory Standards Bill and its original mechanism of court declarations of inconsistency. They explore how diminished trust in courts' interpretations of laws has complicated this approach today, while also examining why past att

How would age limits for social media work?

Nov 21 2024 27 mins  
In this episode, Eric and Michael discuss Australia's proposed law to ban social media for under-16s, examining how age verification would likely require government ID and create serious privacy risks as platforms would need to store this sensitive data. While acknowledging concerns about social media's impact on young people, they argue the Australian approach could enable gover

Breaking Down Healthcare Supply Barriers

Nov 13 2024 37 mins  
In this episode, Eric talks to Dr Dylan Mordaunt, a clinician and visiting fellow at Victoria University, about healthcare policy and regulation in New Zealand, sparked by a recent Niskanen Centre report highlighting how supply constraints affect healthcare delivery. They explore various regulatory barriers affecting medical practitioners, scope of practice limitations, and access