In this episode, Dr Eric Crampton and Prof Steven Hamilton explore why New Zealand and Australia's COVID responses shared similar successes and failures despite their different paths. Their conversation draws from Hamilton's new book "Australia's Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race," examining how both countries exce…

In this episode, Oliver and Nick talk to Oliver Wittke, former mayor of Gelsenkirchen. They discuss a significant local government reform in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that could offer valuable insights for New Zealand's current system. The German state transitioned from a model similar to New Zealand's current setup - with separate mayor and…

In this episode, Oliver talks to Roger and Richard Ekins. They discuss concerns about judicial overreach by New Zealand's Supreme Court, as outlined Roger's latest research report for the New Zealand Initiative. They argue that the court is effectively making law rather than interpreting it, and they propose several legislative measures to reassert…

In this episode, Michael talks to Rachel Cooper, a Resource Teacher for Learning and Behaviour, about the complex challenges facing New Zealand's education system.The conversation covers a wide range of interconnected issues, from classroom behaviour and learning difficulties to teacher training, school governance, and the impact of societal change…

In this episode, Michael talks to James about his recent report about the state of academic freedom in New Zealand universities, highlighting concerns about censorship, institutional bias, and self-censorship among academics.Their conversation explores the causes of these issues, including commercialisation of universities and the influence of prog…

In this episode, Oliver talks to special guest US broadcaster and historian Alexander Heffner, the host of The Open Mind on PBS. They talk about the current state of American politics and media, focusing on the 2024 presidential election and the decline of intellectual discourse in public debate. They explore various aspects of the campaign between…

In this episode, Eric and Ben Hamlin, Barrister at Clifton Chambers, explore how government policies and regulations can unintentionally stifle competition in New Zealand, affecting everything from healthcare to supermarkets. They discuss the challenges posed by current laws, particularly the 'Crown exception' in competition law, and propose reform…

In this episode, James and Dr Nick Matzke discuss recent changes at the University of Auckland, including a push to cut some existing courses and a special University Senate meeting where a vote was held on a motion to pause the Curriculum Framework Transformation for further discussion.Dr Nick Matzke, a biogeography professor, provides insights in…

In this episode, Oliver, Michael and Eric discuss the recent elections in two eastern German states, Thuringia and Saxony, where far-right and populist parties like the AfD and BSW gained significant ground, while traditional mainstream parties performed poorly. They explore the reasons behind this political shift, including frustrations with immig…

In this episode, Oliver and Damien Grant discuss the challenges facing liberal democracies, inspired by Anne Applebaum's books "Twilight of Democracy" and "Autocracy Inc."They explore the rise of populism, the influence of autocratic regimes, political polarisation, and the erosion of democratic norms in various countries, while also relating these…

In this episode, Michael and Oliver explore the growing support for alternative political parties in former East German states and its potential impact on German federal politics, particularly regarding foreign policy and international relations.They discuss historical and social factors contributing to this trend, while also examining how these ch…

In this podcast episode, Oliver interviews Max Salmon about the findings of a recent survey of New Zealand local government officials, detailed in his latest research note called "The Pulse of Local Government."The survey reveals that local councils generally desire more autonomy from central government, feel financial pressures from population gro…

In this episode, Eric Crampton and Sarah Hogan, Deputy Chief Executive at NZIER, discuss a new report estimating the social costs of alcohol in New Zealand at $9 billion, with a focus on how such figures are calculated and used in policymaking. They explore the challenges of accurately attributing costs to alcohol, debate the effectiveness of targe…

In this episode, Nick discusses his latest research note on revenue sharing between central and local government.The main idea is to provide financial incentives for local councils to be more supportive of housing development, potentially addressing New Zealand's housing crisis by aligning the interests of central and local governments.Nick's resea…

This episode features Michael, with Oliver, responding to and critiquing statements made by Prof Peter O'Connor on RNZ about education policy.Michael systematically disagrees with O'Connor's views on the government's proposed education reforms, arguing that O'Connor misrepresents the reforms and presents false dichotomies between knowledge acquisit…

In this episode, Michael talks to Nick Gibb, former UK Minister for Schools, about education reforms implemented in England over the past decade. The conversation covers various aspects of these reforms, including the introduction of systematic synthetic phonics for reading instruction, changes to the mathematics curriculum, teacher training improv…

In this episode, Oliver and Michael discuss recent education reform recommendations in NZ, focusing on the development of a knowledge-rich curriculum and evidence-based teaching practices. Michael, who chaired the Ministerial Advisory Group that made these recommendations, defends the proposed changes against various criticisms and emphasizes that …

In this episode, Matthew discusses his new report with Oliver which is about road pricing in New Zealand.They explore the history of road pricing, international examples, and potential benefits such as reducing congestion and improving infrastructure planning.Their conversation emphasises that while the economic case for road pricing is clear, the …

In this episode, Michael and James talk to Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union in the United Kingdom, the associate editor of The Spectator, and a former editor of Quillette. The discussion spans a wide range of topics including the challenges to free speech in academia, the evolution of charter schools in the UK, and the broader implicati…

This podcast episode is from our recent AI in education webinar where Michael presents his report on generative AI in education, emphasising its potential as a supportive tool while cautioning against replacing traditional learning methods.Prof Barbara Oakley joins as a special guest to provide expert commentary on the cognitive science aspects. Ol…

In this podcast, Nick and Eric talk to Sam Broughton and Simon Randall from Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) about the potential for implementing city and regional deals in New Zealand - formal long-term partnerships between central and local government to better plan and fund local infrastructure and economic development. They explore the benef…

In this episode, Michael and James talk to Dr Dennis Wesselbaum about issues with New Zealand's current university funding model, which relies heavily on student enrollment numbers. They explore potential reforms to create a more stable and effective system that balances access, workforce preparation, and research excellence.…

In this episode, Michael and James talk to Jonathan Rauch, famed American journalist and senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.They discuss the importance of free speech and open debate for the advancement of knowledge and the health of our society.They explore how cultivating the skills of constructive disagreement, from the classroom to the pu…

In this episode, Oliver talks to Dr Murray Horn, former Secretary of the New Zealand Treasury and former CEO of ANZ.They talk about the fiscal challenges facing the new government as it prepares its first budget amidst high inflation, recession, and mounting debt. Murray provides his expert perspective on what reforms are needed to control spending…

In this episode, Oliver talks to John Morris, ONZM, an educator and a former footballer who represented NZ on an international level. They discuss the decline of New Zealand's school system in recent decades and the difficulties in reforming it. With the right changes, New Zealand's education could be turned around in the coming years.…