New Zealand needs an independent watchdog to cost election promises - Oliver Hartwich

Opinion byDr Oliver HartwichNZ Herald·1 Nov, 2026 02:00 AM6 mins to readDr Oliver Hartwich is the Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative (www.nzinitiative.org.nz)Christopher Luxon, Winston Peters, Chloe Swarbrick and Chris Hipkins. Photos / Mark Mitchell, Herald composite imageElections are supposed to be the moment when the main parties offer voters a choice between grand plans and rival visions. Indeed, that is the whole idea of democracy: to be able to choose between different paths, especially on long-term spending and taxes. Well, apparently not in this election. National’s