The Future Of Auckland.
Presentation to Auckland Regional Council: 29 October. 2008. Keywords: Globalisation & Trade; Governance; Growth & Innovation; Aucklanders sometimes talk about wanting to have a ‘world class...
View ArticleUnderstanding the Fiscal Imperatives
Paper for Towards a Value Driven Public Sector Summit, 15 July, 2009. Keywords: Macroeconomics & Money; Regulation & Taxation; Social Policy; Before talking about the fiscal imperatives in...
View ArticleHollow Auckland
There are at least three good reasons that the restructuring of our largest city will fail. Listener: 25 July, 2009. Keywords: Governance; Growth & Innovation; Author Bruce Jesson once said...
View ArticleAnother Redisorganisation
Why is the Government proposing public-sector mergers for so little apparent benefit? Listener: 1 May, 2010. Keywords: Governance; At a certain point in the political cycle, governments start following...
View ArticleReserve Bank to the Rescue
The crew worked extremely hard to keep the good ship New Zealand afloat. Listener: 18 September, 2010. Keywords: Governance; Macroeconomics & Money; Political Economy & History; When Alan...
View ArticleWho Wants Asset Sales?
Those who favour privatisation can be divided into four camps … Listener: 5 March, 2011. Keywords: Business & Finance; Governance; Macroeconomics & Money; Ideologues who hate the Government...
View ArticleNow Let Me Give You the Results Of an Equally Valid Survey ….
Letter to The Dominion-Post, 10 June, 2011. Keywords: Governance; Lacking the impetus to chase hard stories, the ‘Dominion-Post’ ran a survey of government departments last Tuesday based on the...
View ArticleInfrastructure Problems in New Zealand
Listener: 17 September, 2011. Keywords: Environment & Resources; Governance; The cinema may give a good idea about the sewers of Paris and Vienna, but I have little idea what goes on underneath...
View ArticleAuckland Council’s Draft Long-term Plan 2012-2022:
ASSESSING THE FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS Paper prepared for Land Solutions Ltd for submission to the Auckland Council Keywords: Governance; Summary Conclusions and Recommendations S1: Were I an...
View ArticleCould Auckland Have a Greek Crisis?
Submitted to ‘New Zealand Herald’ but mot published. Keywords: Governance; Macroeconomics & Money; Could New Zealand have a financial crisis like the current Greek one? Anything is possible but the...
View ArticleConvention Centres and Public Subsidy
Listener: 26 May, 2010. Keywords: Business & Finance; Governance; Regulation & Taxation; The row that has erupted over the proposed SkyCity convention centre in Auckland involves gambling, but...
View ArticleBlast from the Future
Listener: 21 July, 2012. Fortunately, the recently instituted deep-earth monitoring observed the magma slowly working its way to the surface. Breaking out, it pushed up a cone not unlike its twin,...
View ArticleWater Rights and Ownership
Listener: 4 August, 2012. This column has previously advocated making greater use of market mechanisms to allocate the use of water. New Zealand has a comparative abundance of water, but we benefit if...
View ArticleThe Soe Bonus Scheme
Listener: 18 August, 2012. One of the reasons King Charles I was beheaded in 1649 was that, without Parliament’s approval, he raised taxes and spent the proceeds. Forty years later, after the Glorious...
View ArticleLeaky Legislation
Listener: 15 September, 2012. Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich coined the expression “iatrogenic medicine” to describe illness generated by the actions of physicians. An example is when the doctors...
View ArticleSky Lark
Managers don’t always do what their shareholders want, which may explain the SkyCity deal oddities. Listener: 30 March , 2013. Keywords: Business & Finance; Governance; Richina Pacific has...
View ArticleState Leadership in New Zealand’s Economic Development
Public Sector Conference: 5-6 September, 2013 Published in Foreign Control Watchdog 134, January 2014: p.46-50 Keywords: Business & Finance; Globalisation & Trade; Governance; Political...
View ArticleVolting in a Vacuum
Wellington’s disdain for local councils makes the present elections almost meaningless. Listener: 3 October, 2013. Keywords: Governance; The abolition of the provinces in 1876 made New Zealand...
View ArticleCommentary on Treasury’s Living Standards: a Short Guide to ‘Managing Risks”
This is a commentary of a Treasury document available at http://www.treasury.govt.nz/abouttreasury/higherlivingstandards/hls-ag-risks-jan13.pdf The living standards framework is at:...
View ArticleFirst, Show Us the Evidence
Policymaking is too often based on what someone thinks is a good idea. Listener: 5 December, 2013 Keywords: Governance; Growth & Innovation; The Prime Minister’s chief science adviser, Sir...
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