The New Zealand Initiative

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 c...

10 Dec 202433min

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 fundamentalis...

10 Dec 202429min

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 ...

6 Dec 202436min

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 mechan...

29 Nov 202421min

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...

22 Nov 202427min

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 rep...

14 Nov 202437min

In this episode, marking the eve of the Berlin Wall's anniversary, New Zealand filmmaker Tony Forster joins Oliver to share his powerful experience of witnessing its fall on November 9, 1989. He ref...

8 Nov 202443min

In this episode, Michael and James talk to Oxford theologian Nigel Biggar as he discusses his experiences with academic cancel culture and argues that while the British Empire had significant flaws, i...

8 Nov 202457min