Wednesday 22 June 2011

More people fleeing Key than were fleeing Muldoon [updated]

Looks like whatever the polls are saying, New Zealanders are voting with their feet.

Record Kiwi exodus to Oz
The Kiwi exodus across the Tasman has hit a 32-year-high… Statistics NZ figures show 3300 New Zealanders  left for Australia last month, topping the record of 2900 set in 1979.

That’s more people fleeing Key than were fleeing Muldoon.

Makes you think, huh?

And no fear saying it’s all due to earthquakes.

"The number of New Zealanders leaving permanently, particularly to Australia, had been high prior to the February earthquake, reflecting the challenging New Zealand economic environment and the attraction of the strong Australian labour market," ASB economist Jane Turner said.

Um, didn’t this government promise to “fix” this problem? Didn’t John Boy stand in the middle of Eden Park at some point before he was elected saying he’d arrest the departure of one football-stadium of NZers per year who were leaving to follow a better dream. I seem to recall there was even a rather mediocre billboard campaign along those lines.

Lies

Turns out it was a lie.

Turns out that that even the “real tax cuts” were a lie—especially since the tax cuts promised were vaporised, and GST and borrowing went up to fund the derisory “cuts” finally acceded to.

Turns out then that while a smile and wave might do wonders for your poll ratings, it does nothing at all to fix the problems John Boy was elected to address.

Turns out perhaps that all John Boy is truly “ambitious” about is sitting at the desk with the title “Prime Minister” next to his name.

UPDATE: The figure includes “carpenters, plumbers and other building trade professionals [who] left for Australia last month at a rate of 20 a day.”

Twenty a day!

A legacy, among many things, of the utter mismanagement of the leaky homes fiasco—absolving BRANZ, DBH and Hardies while loading blame onto responsible tradesmen—and the complete, blind, dictatorial ineptitude now going on in Christchurch, where these tradesmen are urgently needed but have been (like many Cantabrians) locked out.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Want to catch Australia?

Catch a plane - $218 on Sunday from Auckland to Sydney.

The question is not: why are so many people leaving under Key?

The question is: why are so many people staying?

Given the wage differential, for most Kiwis under 50, it is clearly worth simply abandoning a mortgage in NZ, and starting again from scratch in Oz.

Now for bludgers, well, there's no welfare for Kiwis in Oz! So they will stay.

Perhaps the truth is: anyone who actually cares about themselves, or their families; who wants to work hard and be rewarded, who cares enough to pay for their families' education and healthcare has already gone!

All that's left in NZ are bludgers and those on the government tit.


Yep: that agrees with all the facts.

Greg Davis said...

Turns out perhaps that all John Boy is truly “ambitious” about is sitting at the desk with the title “Prime Minister” next to his name

The "perhaps" isn't needed. That's all he ever wanted - his sister said as much in the multi part TV documentary a couple of years ago.

The country is merely his plaything - he will not improve anything. He will be another Muldoon - remembered as utterly hopeless - and inexplicably liked at the time by the national socialists.

Mark Hubbard said...

And don't forget the other price of all that taxation: no privacy from Big Brother Daddy Dunne.

(Sorry to keep pushing this post of mine, but it's under my skin).

Anonymous said...

In the news today - almost - sounds familiar?


New Zealand's earthquake-hit government has survived a much-anticipated vote of confidence as the country's political opposition has renewed calls for its resignation and tens of thousands of Kiwis protested outside parliament.

The confidence vote was but one step in a long and arduous journey to putting near-bankrupt New Zealand back on its feet – financially, politically and increasingly socially – during a year in which it suffered three large earthquakes, wiping out 20% of the economy.

Next week Alan Bollard - NZ's Reserve Bank govenor - faces the task of persuading the NZ government to endorse further austerity measures — on top of a wave of wage cuts, pension cuts, tax increases and benefit losses that have already prompted thousands to take to the streets in – often violent – protest.

Former finance minister Roger Douglas has described the measures as a matter of "life or death."

Cash reserves are fast drying up with the economy teetering on the verge of collapse, unable even to cover payments for civil servants or pensioners beyond the end of the month, without borrowing $400 million dollars per week

But while ever more Kiwis also say they believe their country to be bankrupt — a view that few were willing to entertain when the first earthquake hit six months ago – opposition to the belt-tightening remains overwhelming.

"If these measures pass, New Zealand will be the guinea pig of the OECD," said Phil Goff of the NZ Labour Party. "NZ unions will not bow down. They will be present in the struggle of workers."A growing chorus of leading Australian and US figures has added to the pressure by also demanding that New Zealand's squabbling National Party government put aside their differences by giving the measures full support.

Consensus is seen as critical. "Government consensus is a prerequisite for success," insisted Australian Reserve Bank govenor Glenn Stevens after holding talks with John Key on Wednesday.

However, the National/ACT government remains divided and attempts at national agreement have so far fallen on stony ground.

Mort said...

Unfortunately the employment sector in Australia is not as easy as the immigrants want for if they are headed to the major cities. There is plenty of work in regional Australia especially in the mining towns. The wages there are much better too, one could argue too that you don't get the violence associated with the urban terrorists or youth gangs, be they Lebanese or otherwise. (Northern territory towns such as Alice Springs are in the grips of drunken Indigenous youth gangs instead, although these gangs are predominantly in the non-dry towns of Alice, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin.
As for Key, unless he gets off his ass and starts making some hard decisions, instead of being led by polling, the economy is fast headed towards eclipsing Greece.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately the employment sector in Australia is not as easy as the immigrants want for if they are headed to the major cities

Compared to NZ, for anyone actually prepared to work its a picnic - and you'll be paid far better and pay less tax.


urban terrorists or youth gangs... grips of drunken Indigenous youth gangs

Cos NZ doesn't have a much worse gang problem than Aussie. Oh no. Hell we have gangsters in parliament so it must be OK!


Frankly, anyone in NZ who claims they want to work or get ahead and who hasn't already moved to Aus is simply a liar.

the economy is fast headed towards eclipsing Greece

At least the Greek debt is denominated in Euros - and they're still part of the Euro. NZ debt is in USD. And when the shit happens - frankly could have happened after the first earthquake - once the NZD tanks the debt and defecit and interest payments skyrocket.

Anonymous said...

There are probably millions of people on earth that would happily immigrate to New Zealand if they were given the chance (many people in Africa, Asia, South America, Middle East, Eastern Europe, old Soviet countries etc). In other words, a life in New Zealand is in high demand worldwide, and should be appreciated.

All this means that New Zealand should not tolerate negativity.

Those that think the grass is greener in Australia (and that is a matter of opinion - higher wages doesn't necessarily mean a higher true standard of living) should be encouraged to leave.Quite simply, anyone who who thinks life is better in Australia should f*** off and leave New Zealand (and don't come back!).

Peter Cresswell said...

@Anonymous 4:32pm: Yes, that should fix it. Let's make life worse for thinking people then abuse them when they go.

I can see why you'd be too embarrassed to post thoughts like that under your own name.

KG said...

"All this means that New Zealand should not tolerate negativity."
Indeed...do the Kiwi thing and pass a law agin it!

KG said...

Of course lots of people would happily migrate to NZ if given the chance.
But if you look at what they would be emigrating from, that ain't saying much. :-)

Anonymous said...

There are probably millions of people on earth that would happily immigrate to New Zealand if they were given the chance

Because they don't know what it's like to live in the most regulated, most socialist, and closest to bankrupt nominally "Western" country in the OECD.

Those that think the grass is greener in Australia

It's something called a fact. Clearly your nz-state-education --- paid, of course, by PC's FUCKING TAXES you sponging c**t --- did not equipt you to deal with facts.

anyone who who thinks life is better in Australia should f*** off and leave New Zealand (

... has already gone. Which is why "Godzone" is basically full of bludgers.

Just as redundant "civil servants" are useless in the free market economy - so basically almost all those left in NZ are completely f**king useless at even growing or earning enough to feed themselves.

So far NZ has been underwritten by bankers - basically because they can't tell the difference between NZ and Oz. When they find out, you'll wish you lived in Greece

Anonymous said...

Mr Cresswell should reveal where your IP address comes from Sinner.

As a company tax expert I doubt PC, as an architect, pays a lot of tax.

Li Cheng said...

Anon, you said that you're a company tax expert. So, this means that you're a useless prick who doesn't produce anything aren't you? We need more producers (for economic growth), such as engineers, architects, scientists, farmers, builders, on the other hand, we need just a few useless fuck/cunt such as unproductive people like you anon (lawyers, accountants, astrologers, etc). WHY? You're not producing anything of value.

KG said...

Not a fan of Anonymous "company tax experts" I take it, Li Cheng?
lolol!

Andrew B said...

He flops to the left,
He flops from the riiiiiight,
That's Tory John Key,
His leadership's shite!

Dirty Mind said...

Andrew B, your saying that John Key has been strokin' to the left and strokin' to the right (also strokin' to the east and west)?

Cassanova said...

Dirty Mind, you seem like a wanker. Anyway, I think John Key enjoys the following strokin'.