After nine years of centre-right governments under Prime Ministers John Key and Bill English, New Zealand has new leadership. Led by Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and supported by New Zealand First and the left-wing Greens, the new coalition has pledged to take the country in a different direction. Changes to industrial relations, housing, and even monetary policy are on the cards. So, how interventionist is this new New Zealand Government? To what extent does it mark a radical departure from its predecessor’s policies?
To discuss the state of New Zealand politics, we invited Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of Wellington-based think tank The New Zealand Initiative. Before joining the New Zealand Initiative, Oliver was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney (2008-2012), Chief Economist at Policy Exchange in London, and an advisor in the UK House of Lords.