having major businesses hidden under tax free charities doesnt help. End that rortSomething is seriously wrong with New Zealand’s public wealth. We rank near the top globally for per-capita resources and assets - ahead of most OECD nations. On some measures, only Saudi Arabia eclipses us. Yet our public services are crumbling and we cannot afford to fund or maintain critical infrastructure.
The scale of our natural wealth may come as a surprise to many. But our endowment spans an extraordinary range. World-class agricultural land stretches across both islands. Our renewable electricity generation ranks among the highest in the OECD. Our fisheries rank among the world’s most extensive, while forests blanket 37% of our land. We even possess significant mineral deposits, though these remain largely unexplored.
Despite our wealth - both public and private - we languish at 22nd place in the OECD for GDP per capita. Our prosperity trails far behind comparable nations like Australia and Ireland. Treasury has estimated our infrastructure needs $210 billion to reach adequate levels. Our productivity growth remains dismal.
We have settled for being passive custodians rather than making these resources work for us. The result is billions in capital tied up in an underperforming Crown and local government balance sheets while critical infrastructure crumbles.
Our infrastructure spending efficiency ranks in the bottom 10% of high-income countries, with construction costs rising one-third faster than prices elsewhere in the economy. Infrastructure productivity growth lags at just one-third the rate of the overall economy. We are not just spending too little – we are getting poor value from what we do spend.
This systemic inefficiency helps explain why New Zealand faces a $210bn infrastructure deficit despite spending 5.5% of GDP on infrastructure - more than both Australia and the OECD median. It is a problem of management and delivery, not merely funding.
Roger Partridge: How did we end up so asset-rich but service-poor?
OPINION: Despite our wealth our prosperity trails behind Australia and Ireland.www.nzherald.co.nz
Politics 🗳️ NZ Politics
- Thread starter wizard of Tauranga
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #13,962
I think the data shows the economy has huge potential to grow. Bigger potential than most countries.
The focus on tax is misplaced. If we grew and doubled GDP (which the per capita resources and assets stats says we’re capable of) we would double tax take with the same population.
Game changing big picture stuff. This is how you close the gap to Australia and pay for first class services - not trying to get more blood out of a stone.
Before Christmas, the Sallies did their usual rant about how much less than private landlords they charge for rent. Of course, they can charge less... they don't have to pay a cent in tax on any of that rental income.
And then there's the SDA's who own Sanitarium. The Open Brethren who have huge beef, dairy and Kiwifruit holdings. The Anglicans with all the money their leasehold properties in Parnell and St Johns earn. Charities don't pay rates on their properties. Density Church earns huge money from the gym in their Manukau facility.
ASB have now joined the other big trading banks by offering a 6 month mortgage rate below 5.99%..... and that's before the next RBNZ announcement next month.
There's a lot of speculation about at the moment that the declining Kiwi dollar against the US will mean that the RBNZ may only announce a 25 basis point drop in the OCR next month and not the 50 basis point drop people were expecting prior to Christmas.
www.nzherald.co.nz
There's a lot of speculation about at the moment that the declining Kiwi dollar against the US will mean that the RBNZ may only announce a 25 basis point drop in the OCR next month and not the 50 basis point drop people were expecting prior to Christmas.
Mortgage wars: Another major bank cuts home loan rates as competition heats up
Kiwis can now get 5.99% six-month rates from three major banks.
I’ve heard talk about a 100bp drop, as the GDP figures were well-below what was contemplatedASB have now joined the other big trading banks by offering a 6 month mortgage rate below 5.99%..... and that's before the next RBNZ announcement next month.
There's a lot of speculation about at the moment that the declining Kiwi dollar against the US will mean that the RBNZ may only announce a 25 basis point drop in the OCR next month and not the 50 basis point drop people were expecting prior to Christmas.
Mortgage wars: Another major bank cuts home loan rates as competition heats up
Kiwis can now get 5.99% six-month rates from three major banks.
anyway, plenty of water to go under the bridge in the next month
John Nick
Contributor
Interesting that none of you right wingers have posted the latest Curia polls 
.
I have always been amazed by not knowing or hearing of anyone who has been contacted by these pollsters and have mentioned this several times previously.
Interesting that I was contacted recently and gave my opinion.
Now the poll is published and not good for National.
Maybe I was the only person polled
. I have always been amazed by not knowing or hearing of anyone who has been contacted by these pollsters and have mentioned this several times previously.
Interesting that I was contacted recently and gave my opinion.
Now the poll is published and not good for National.
Maybe I was the only person polled
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Been wondering where you been mateInteresting that none of you right wingers have posted the latest Curia polls
I have always been amazed by not knowing or hearing of anyone who has been contacted by these pollsters and have mentioned this several times previously.
Interesting that I was contacted recently and gave my opinion.
Now the poll is published and not good for National.
Maybe I was the only person polled
John Nick
Contributor
Having a break. Say no more.
Damo
Contributor
The pollsters read the nzwarriors forum!?Interesting that none of you right wingers have posted the latest Curia polls
I have always been amazed by not knowing or hearing of anyone who has been contacted by these pollsters and have mentioned this several times previously.
Interesting that I was contacted recently and gave my opinion.
Now the poll is published and not good for National.
Maybe I was the only person polled
John Nick
Contributor
Only when it suits .Like our resident right leaning friends.The pollsters read the nzwarriors forum!?
Hard to know what to make of it eh. I’d imagine the resident centre and left wingers would have a clearer opinion of why the swing existsInteresting that none of you right wingers have posted the latest Curia polls
I have always been amazed by not knowing or hearing of anyone who has been contacted by these pollsters and have mentioned this several times previously.
The ferry “announcement” and subsequent ferry failures can’t have helped National’s cause
John Nick
Contributor
- Thread starter
- #13,975
Nothing of note really.Interesting that none of you right wingers have posted the latest Curia polls
Parties are all jumping around a bit but the coalition still has the clear majority.
Nine more years I reckon. The hard job of taming the runaway inflation has been done and we will be booming again by next election.
Damo
Contributor
Quite an interesting graph that collates all the opinion polls, I wonder if these two lines will intersect soon with the trend over the last 3 months or head away from each other again.
I know this has been discussed previously but it's a shame we went with MMP that results in wasted votes. I think in hindsight a transferable voting system may have been better and resulted in more variation in the number of parties in parliament (TOP for example) and more variation in the formation of government blocks. having said that, many still don't understand how MMP works so something more complicated than that might have been a real stretch.View attachment 10836
Quite an interesting graph that collates all the opinion polls, I wonder if these two lines will intersect soon with the trends over the last 3 months or head away from each other again.
Damo
Contributor
I really liked TOP, most of their policies resonated with me more than the other parties. Unfortunately I did see it as a 'wasted vote' and didn't end up voting for them. Pity their leadership has essentially all stood down now after the last election.
Pretty much what I thought as well. They got 63000 votes last election - they needed a stronger electorate candidate really to secure seats. Not sure how much difference they would have made but the more parties in parliament the less likely for there to be a king maker as well as bring different policies.
If you want GDP to sky rocket, just remove corporate tax! We would destroy Australia in GDP!
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Nobody is reading this thread right now.
