Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics

[wizard of Tauranga]

Bingo.

The poverty levels in NZ are insane. When I left like 15 years ago, after bills,I had more disposable income left in my bank account from my first Aus paycheck than I got paid total in NZ.

I was getting paid over $60K as a private in the army with very little outgoings. The kiwi mind just cant comprehend such a thing.

An hour or year of your time is no different in NZ or Australia. The difference is the size, scale and productivity of the businesses that pay the wages.

So should NZ just up the wages (minimum wahlge, etc)

Or should NZ upgrade the size, scale and productivity of business?

If you push wages higher without building strong businesses everything imploded.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

NZ has never had a healthy & stable economy. Its had rich individuals, but not a wealthy society.

2017 NZ had a ‘rock star’ economy. Lots of immigrants wanting to come here and few leaving for Australia.

We had finally recovered from the GFC and Christchurch quakes and were set up for success. National was investing in infrastructure (irrigation schemes, roading, etc) and we had some cool businesses incubating. We had a vision and direction.

Arguably National should have used the hard earned surplus to invest in social infrastructure rather than paying down debt and preparing for a rainy day. We were on the right path until Winston changed history. We had a platform to make real change. What could have been.

I’m hoping to work back towards the vibe of 2017 but know it will take years.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

All economies around the world are suffering comparably.

NZ has had 2 recessions already with predictions for another one next year. We’re predicted to have the second lowest growth in the world next year.

- Have other countries tried to reconfigure their health system in a pandemic?
- ramped up minimum wages when buinesses were struggling to remain viable?
- turned off the immigration tap when we had record low unemployment and a labour supply crisis?
- introduced extra sick leave and annual holidays during a labour supply crisis?
- lowered speed limits, upped petrol taxes when we have a cost of living crisis with transport makes up a huge part of our costs?
- increase taxes revenue at 9% per year well above inflation effectively taking the cash out of the private sector?

All the above are just daft for any government to do at this time. Agenda driven rather than playing what’s in front of us and we’re all paying for it.

Our inflation and cost of living crisis is mainly from internal cost rises and reserve bank actions now instead of external factors which is on our government not overseas.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

An hour or year of your time is no different in NZ or Australia. The difference is the size, scale and productivity of the businesses that pay the wages.

So should NZ just up the wages (minimum wahlge, etc)

Or should NZ upgrade the size, scale and productivity of business?

If you push wages higher without building strong businesses everything imploded.

What businesses? There’s fuck all in Nz. I don’t mean your mates pool cleaning bizzo, I’m talking about the global marketplace here.

 

[Bruce]

Aren't Nats and Labour both no-lib parties with slightly different approaches, can't see much major change happening with pumpkinhead and Rimmer's team of cyborgs in charge.

I doubt they could be more incompetent...I hope

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

What businesses? There’s fuck all in Nz. I don’t mean your mates pool cleaning bizzo, I’m talking about the global marketplace here.

Agree - exactly!

I would be using our huge untapped natural resources in a huge way to totally change our economy. But i don’t think the average NZer is on board with that.

Everyone talks of the Nordic social system without acknowledging what it’s built off. We could have that social system…

 

[Bruce]

Nicola Willis lost her electorate to Greg O’Connor.

A good honest candidate whose face did not fit the Labour caucus. It would be nice if that meant something.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

2017 NZ had a ‘rock star’ economy. Lots of immigrants wanting to come here and few leaving for Australia.

Bullshit. Marketing slogans are for the stupid. NZ has never been an attractive proposition apart from rich expats. Or foreigners.

We had finally recovered from the GFC and Christchurch quakes and were set up for success. National was investing in infrastructure (irrigation schemes, roading, etc) and we had some cool businesses incubating. We had a vision and direction.

Spending on roads, classic. Don’t get me started on the Fulton Hogan mafia. Actual infrastructure spending would be actually building decent public transport in Nz. HSR, subways etc.

Arguably National should have used the hard earned surplus to invest in social infrastructure rather than paying down debt and preparing for a rainy day. We were on the right path until Winston changed history. We had a platform to make real change. What could have been.

Mediocre people blame others. While Key was charismatic, National were clueless outside of their standard fare. National *may* be able to steady a ship, but they have never plotted a new course. How can they on the conservative right.

 

[Bruce]

What businesses? There’s fuck all in Nz. I don’t mean your mates pool cleaning bizzo, I’m talking about the global marketplace here.

The average business in NZ is a SME...so no we have no large scale economy

 

[MrFrankWhite]

The average business in NZ is a SME...so no we have no large scale economy

Had Tiwai but NZ couldn’t control power prices so bye bye.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

My posts are in no way a ringing endorsement of Labor. They too just seek to redistribute crumbs. No different to National

 

[Bruce]

Had Tiwai but NZ couldn’t control power prices so bye bye.

Governments have been held to ransom by Tiwai point for decades. Have they actually gone yet or are they just talking about it as usual?

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Spending on roads, classic. Don’t get me started on the Fulton Hogan mafia. Actual infrastructure spending would be actually building decent public transport in Nz. HSR, subways etc.

Every country will excel to their potential if it leveraged off its natural competitive advantages.

Australia mining, Singapores location, Middle East oil, Germany, precision engineering, Asia mass production, etc.

NZ future is basically exploiting our natural primary resources (and secondary production were viable), some niche high end manufacturing (basically selling brands) and tourism/ lifestyle living. The knowledge economy is BS as we are to remote.

We need to invest heavily in our natural advantages. Irrigation schemes, high end farming, mining and exploration, efficient highways to ports, etc.

It’s all rural. Cities add little except a pyramid scheme of building houses for immigrants.

So long story short. We need efficient highways between cities and ports and stuff the city subways - our cities don’t have the density or layout to allow it easily.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Had Tiwai but NZ couldn’t control power prices so bye bye.

Still there. But NZ shut down our oil refinery.

Save the planet - except the same amount is still refined, just in other places and we lose economic resilience and high end jobs.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Every country will excel if it leveraged off its natural competitive competitive advantages.

Australia mining, Singapores location, Middle East oil, Germany, precision engineering, Asia mass production, etc.

NZ future is basically exploiting our natural primary resources (and secondary production were viable), some niche high end manufacturing (basically selling brands) and tourism/ lifestyle living. The knowledge economy is BS as we are to remote.

We need to invest heavily in our natural advantages. Irrigation schemes, high end farming, mining and exploration, efficient highways to ports, etc.

It’s all rural. Cities add little except a pyramid scheme of building houses for immigrants.

So long story short. We need efficient highways between cities and ports and stuff the city subways - our cities don’t have the density or layout to allow it easily.

Agree but not farming. Far too poor a use of the limited land NZ has.

I would have focused on

1. Offshore oil and gas
2. Super rare earths
3. Nuclear medicine
4. Tectonic engineering

And then built and designed cities like Asia and ports like the Scandinavian’s

 

[Bruce]

I don't know much about this.. on the surface it seems wrong that these Maori seats can potentially affect the making up of the government even though TPM have quite a low party vote?

I think TPM are going to score seats because their electorate performance is better than their party vote.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Agree but not farming. Far too poor a use of the limited land NZ has.

I would have focused on

1. Offshore oil and gas
2. Super rare earths
3. Nuclear medicine
4. Tectonic engineering

And then built and designed cities like Asia and ports like the Scandinavian’s

We both could run this country with vision but the average NZer is on a totally different wavelength.

Our politicians reflect the ambition of the average person…

 

[Bruce]

We both could run this country with vision but the average NZer is on a totally different wavelength.

Our politicians reflect the ambition of the average person…

That is democracy's weakness

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

That is democracy's weakness

Countries / civilisations go through a cycle.

Young and ambitious, growth, mature, decline, collapse.

We’ve been comfortable and mature and the last few years have been starting the decline phase.

 

[Bruce]

Countries / citizens validations go through a cycle

Every organism goes through a cycle, ecology 101.