Ambitious for New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, March 18th, 2009 - 21 comments
Categories: economy, john key - Tags: , ,

John Key in the NBR*:

There is more chance in this decade than the last one of New Zealand moving up the OECD league table because other countries are moving backwards.

So, it’s OK if we’re getting poorer because other countries are getting poorer even faster. Not so ambitious for New Zealand after all I guess.

I can’t help note that Singapore is one of those countries going backwards fast. Its economy is shrinking 10% this year. That’s the same Singapore that Key and others have been saying we need to emulate.

[*Page 9, March 13, 2009]

21 comments on “Ambitious for New Zealand ”

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  1. gingercrush 1
    18 March 2009 at 10:47 am

    Do you care to share what article this quote was taken from?

    • lprent 1.1
      18 March 2009 at 11:02 am

      Eddie: I agree with gingercrush. Even if it isn’t online (google can’t see it), then you should put the title and maybe the journo if available into the post.

      Bit annoying that it isn’t online, but I guess that they want to make a buck

  2. Bill 2
    18 March 2009 at 10:51 am

    Moving up or down the OECD league table seems irrelevant to me.

    A country could rocket to first place but because of income disparities within the country the bulk of the population could be worse off than was previously the case.

    Or have I missed something?

  3. BLiP 3
    18 March 2009 at 10:54 am

    And the reason we are declining more slowly than the other countries: Dr Michael Cullen.

  4. Tim Ellis 4
    18 March 2009 at 11:16 am

    So, it’s OK if we’re getting poorer because other countries are getting poorer even faster. Not so ambitious for New Zealand after all I guess.

    Well, we are in a global recession. I don’t see anything in the article about John Key saying it’s okay if we get poorer. But to have better relative performance against our competitors does show competent financial management.

  5. Eddie 5
    18 March 2009 at 11:17 am

    Fair point gc. Post updated.

  6. gingercrush 6
    18 March 2009 at 11:51 am

    NBR’s whole site online is pretty bad. Nice layout and stuff but no archive or anything. Hell you can’t even search.

    I actually think the two major parties can never be that ambitious because at the end of the day they need to grab some of the centre to govern and therefore they’re always inherently cautious compared to what the Greens or Act will say. The danger here is that John Key did say he was ambitious during the election. Yet his policies are either more of the same that Labour also did. Or they’re slightly more neo-liberal. There’s nothing in his policies that as such speak of huge ambitions. And it could well come back to bite him one day. But I think both main parties have been guilty of loud soundbites without actually having the substantial policies to support it.

  7. Ben R 7
    18 March 2009 at 1:43 pm

    “I can’t help note that Singapore is one of those countries going backwards fast. Its economy is shrinking 10% this year. That’s the same Singapore that Key and others have been saying we need to emulate.”

    So what? Their economy could be shrinking by 90%, and yet some of their policies could still be beneficial for NZ to adopt. Another country could be experiencing outrageous growth & yet it may be unwise for NZ to adopt their policies. You need to separate correlation from causation.

  8. jimbo 8
    18 March 2009 at 2:15 pm

    So relative wealth does not matter – is that now the position here?

    Seems a bit at odds with various other default positions trotted out here.

    • Quoth the Raven 8.1
      18 March 2009 at 5:03 pm

      This is what I said to you in another thread:
      Thirdly, you do realise it’s not just our nation against a stagnant world – that we can move down the rankings without anything getting worse here. You know its relative to other nations.
      And you never acknowledged that point prefering to change the argument.
      You’re an idiot.
      Our economy will be getting worse and we may move up the rankings because it’s relative. When labour was in power we moved down the rankings (though no one has ever provided me with a link to any first hand data from the OECD to show this) as our economy improved. What’s the better situation? Or will you admit that this single ranking of many is not the most important thing for a country.

  9. jimbo 9
    18 March 2009 at 2:17 pm

    BLiP re Cullen: Yes, that must be it.

    • sally 9.1
      18 March 2009 at 2:52 pm

      To be more precise: Cullen resisted calls from the National opposition to spend the Government’s surplus on tax cuts, and hence the recession hit us with less impact than other economies.

      I think it’s fair for the good doctor to take some of the credit for that.

      • higherstandard 9.1.1
        18 March 2009 at 3:46 pm

        Cullen did well paying down debt this must however be balanced against the continued growth in government spending elsewhere which was far less praise worthy.

        • Quoth the Raven 9.1.1.1
          18 March 2009 at 5:06 pm

          Government speding did increase but government spending as a percetnage of GDP was still less under Labour than under the previous National government and of course it will be less than the spending of this government.

  10. Snail 10
    18 March 2009 at 3:05 pm

    Well said, sally.

    it having been the good doctor’s own originating decision perhaps we might grant him ALL of the credit for that..

  11. randal 11
    18 March 2009 at 4:40 pm

    what sort of language are you dudes talking
    nz is a low wage price taking agricultural economy and you are carrying on like there is some greater mystery than this
    get off ya bums ya bums and make some suggestions about how to create wealth instead of carrying on like constipated fleas

  12. QoT 12
    18 March 2009 at 5:45 pm

    Jesus Christ, it’s almost like OECD rankings are comparative and thus can radically change with little or no input from a single country!

    Being at the bottom doesn’t matter if you’re doing really well and the others are just doing better* and being at the top doesn’t matter if everyone’s pretty much up to their necks in crap anyway.

    OH GOD I HATE COMPARATIVE STATISTICS.

    *Okay, unless you’re just in it for the competitive dick-measuring aspect.

  13. illuminatedtiger 13
    18 March 2009 at 7:07 pm

    Has anyone told Key that Singapore is a dictatorship with a fairly extensive Amnesty International rap sheet?