The Martian Audit: Or, how New Zealand repelled an Invasion through procedural complexity
From The New Zealand Initiative by The New Zealand Initiative
May 7, 2026 · 30 min
About this episode
Michael discusses Oliver Hartwich's satirical novella about alien auditors in New Zealand and the country's bureaucratic challenges.
In this episode, Michael talks to Oliver Hartwich about his new satirical novella The Martian Audit, in which two alien auditors arrive in New Zealand to assess it for invasion, only to find themselves defeated not by weapons but by the country's regulation and bureaucracy. There are no villains, just a country full of friendly people trapped in systems that don't work, from leaky homes and hospital waiting rooms to view shafts you can't legally stop to admire.
People in this episode
Host: Michael
Guest: Oliver Hartwich
Topics covered
- satire
- bureaucracy
- invasion
- regulation
- aliens
- auditors
Keywords
- satirical novella
- New Zealand
- bureaucracy
- aliens
- invasion
- regulation
- auditors
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Martian Audit
Places: New Zealand
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