Do our good times depend on China, or US green stubbornness?
NBR reports an academic lashing out at our Trade Minister for failing to agree that the sky is falling in China. Two things incline me to sympathise with Tim Groser, over the professor; First sign -...
View ArticleIncentive pay for MPs
The moot for the New Zealand Initiative's youth debate semi-final this year in Wellington is a good one - "Should New Zealand tie MPs' and Ministers' salaries to a multiple of the average national...
View ArticleDo we need a ‘balance’, or a rule, on director liability?
This afternoon I will present to a group of lawyers who’ve been sold a seminar session that knocks off their full 10 points worth of annual Continuing Professional Development in one day. I hope some...
View ArticleUnion cavalry charges Wellington DHB mustard gas
Wise admirals agonise about whether they’re getting ready to fight the last war they won. They know how easy it is to get better battleships after aircraft carriers have made them a liability. But...
View ArticleInvestment Advice
On Q & A on Sunday I predicted the Reserve Bank’s drop in interest rates. Most commentary I’d seen before (and since) suggested the Bank would hold off change for a little longer. I had no inside...
View ArticlePrices in New Zealand
Several weeks in Europe have been humbling, as travel usually is. Among the surprises was how cheap it was to eat and drink well, even in Germany, one of the richest countries in the world. In Spain 8...
View ArticleLeave Fonterra to sort itself (or not)
The amalgamation/monolith structure of Fonterra was a mistake. But it is what we have and pulling it to bits now could compound the mistake. The Fonterra monopoly came from a conjunction of dairy...
View ArticleWhat about the customers?
Where is the interest of consumers in this stuff story of a Motelier Association call for nationwide local government regulations to nobble private bach rental competition with moteliers? The story...
View ArticleKiwi confidence and sense of well being – proved
I’m astonished by how often I’m coming across people who started their Christmas break last Friday. This year I’ve had a lot to do with tradies. A good number have decided their world is benign enough...
View ArticleCould the earthquakes reduce Kiwirail distortions?
The Kaikoura railway destruction has an economic silver lining. There is now a possibility of less future waste on irrational and distorting transport subsidies. Coastal shipping should have been...
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