Yesterday Oliver Marc Hartwich ( NZ Initiative Atlas Network ) appeared on The Platform - to promote his latest article about the Supreme Court sending the Mike Smith case against seven polluters back to the High Court because "Damage to the Climate System" might be a tort.
I'll get into what was said in that interview and indeed what Hartwich had written the day before - but first who is this Oliver Marc Hartwich?
He's a German economist who started his career in the House of Lords as a research assistant in 2004 before working at The Policy Exchange Think Tank in London from 2005 till October 2008. You may recall the Policy Exchange is the same Think Tank where Luxon gave his talk and ran down the NZ Public Service?
Anyway Hartwich wrote a policy research paper about myths and fables of unaffordable housing which won a British Think Tank Award - kind of like the oscars...but turns out David Cameron took up some of Hartwich's proposals ( Office for Budget Responsibilities and community involvement in town planning )
However controversy struck when Hartwich wrote a controversial report called "Cities Unlimited" and he was thought to have suggested a recommendation to abolish all the Northern Cities in Britain - and David Cameron suggested it was time Hartwich packed his bag and left the country.
Bye Bye.
Hartwich claimed he never did that, but he did not care cos he'd already decided to fly to Australia to join an Atlas Think Tank named the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney.
At the Atlas Network Think Tank - Hartwich published reports of immigration, population growth and the demographic future of Sydney but while he was there he also worked with some very interesting people - like Luke Malpass - yes the political editor at Stuff.
Hartwich and Malpass wrote a paper together on why we should abandon MMP in NZ on 29 March 2010 and more - but I should also point out Luke Malpass ( Atlas Network ) wrote a paper there titled "Alcohol policy and the politics of moral panic"
There's more - but first remember that Malpass Led Stuffs's election coverage with Andrea Vance and Tova reporting in to him. Imagine that? ( anonymous people complaining about Kiri Allan anyone? New polls at the Post? )
Back to the Centre of Independent Studies where Hartwich worked - with Malpass - and later on the same Atlas network think tank welcomed a new colleague named Nyunggai Warren Mundine who was - a leading voice in the successful Vote NO campaign in the recent Voice referendum.
Anyway - Hartwich hung in there until 1 May 2012 when he became the first executive director at the NZ Initiative.
So Oliver had jumped from one Atlas Network think tank across the Tasman to one here.
As you know Christopher Luxon repeats the line "We believe in localism and devolution" well in 2013 Hartwich wrote a paper on "the Importance of Localism" - which was forwarded by - Malcom Alexander ( the guy from LGNZ who formed the group opposed to Three Waters ) - and Harwich banged on about how this paper built on work by Malpass and Bassett ( mates with Roger Douglas and Bassett is now known for writing anti woke, anti Maori stuff in the Northern Age - he hates the word Aotearoa for example ).
I don't wish to bore you but Harwich quoted Hayek ( Mont Pelerin Society ) at the core of his paper and individual liberty and decentralisation and subsidiarity ( the lowest level of delegated government responsibility ) which is - the foundation for Luxon's spin about Wellington being too large and controlling.
Hartwich who is also a member of the Mont Pelerin Society wrote how New Zealand was way more centralised than other OECD countries - and yes it was time to be more like them.
Okay so yesterday Hartwich ( Atlas ) spoke with Michael Laws as part of the campaign against the Mike Smith case - ( after Roger Partridge had written in the NZ herald ) and Laws accused the Supreme Court of being activist judges - while Hartwich was more careful not to tread on sub judice and more respectful of our fine judges.
In a nutshell Hartwich and Laws moaned that it had taken four years for this case to reach the decision made last week - and how it will likely proceed in a circle back to the Supreme Court in another six or seven years - millions of legal fees later.
The paper Hartwich wrote on Thursday 15 February 2024 outlined how NZ was 7th out of 142 Nations on the World Justice Project's "Rule of Law Index" - but there was hope for Australia ( only 13th ) thanks to the Supreme Courts decision ( which took 2 years to reach plus two year to get to them = 4 years ).
Hartwich repeated the Atlas Network line that NZ is a rounding error in terms of global emissions - and described us as a few grams in every tonne of total emissions. ( This is marketing - like how for only the cost of a cup of coffee a day - seems small but over a year etc )
Hartwich also thought the tort might be too remote - not specific enough - meaning the harm done by one to another is too remote - like even the flap of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane.
Finally like Roger Partridge ( Mont Pelerin Society ), Hartwich ( Mont Pelerin Society ) reckoned the seven polluters had bought carbon units and so were all legal and under the logic of the ETS if they lowered their emissions others will emit more.
Hartwich was troubled by the signal sent from the Supreme court and suggested elected law makers were better placed to deal with these matters than courts. Notably his article was published in The Australian - part of Newscorp - owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Wow there we go again - Atlas Network aye.
What do you make of that?
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