Resuming our regularly scheduled service

I'm back! But I've never been far away. Just writing elsewhere without time to pop things up here as I should have.

Subscribers to our Insights newsletter will have caught my piece there on the lunacy of alcohol special licences in Nelson, and on the Auckland Unitary Plan.

I also there gave a teaser for the Wellington semi-final of The Initiative's coming debate series. The debating teams from New Zealand's universities square off in these annual meets, sponsored by the Friedlander Foundation and organised by The Initiative. The Wellington semi-final will have the teams debate the moot "This house would reduce household inequality by banning those with university degrees from marrying each other." Matt Nolan and I will serve as panellists on this one.

Plus a couple pieces in the NBR and assorted other media commentary; they'll be getting their own posts soon.

It has been a busy month. We've lost one of our excellent research assistants, Khyaati Acharya, who's moved to the other side of the Tasman; we'll be releasing her report taking a decade-on retrospective look at the zero percent student loan policy in about a fortnight though. I've spent a bit of time helping to get that report ready for publication. Jason Krupp launched his report with Bryce Wilkinson on local government in Switzerland, the Netherlands, the Manchester Accord, and Montreal's amalgamation and de-amalgamation. And I've (barely) started in on some work with InternetNZ looking at the state of regulation and the digital economy.

We've also added two more researchers.

Randall Bess joined us to take a look at the state of recreational fishing; his first draft is now completed and I'm looking forward to the September launch.

And Rachel Webb has joined us from Canterbury. Rachel completed her doctorate there under Andrea Menclova and was teaching third year labour econometrics before I stole her away. She will get to have all of the fun in Stata that I haven't time for. Her first task is looking at the data on immigration for a report we hope to have out early next year.

Busy fun times.

Other places you might have caught me recently:

• Quoted at Stuff, on the intergenerational wars (millenials right to be pissed off about housing; tuition fees, not so much)
• Again at Stuff, on housing again
• At Atlas, on our report on heritage regulations
• Interest's Top 10