Oliver is Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative, an independent public policy think tank in Wellington. Born in Germany, he has a Master’s in Business Administration and Economics and a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Bochum. Before moving to NZ in 2012, he was Chief Economist at Policy Exchange in London and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney. His research interests include housing affordability, the economics of cities and international affairs. He writes columns for The Australian, Newsroom and Quadrant.