John Key’s brighter future

Written By: - Date published: 3:39 pm, August 7th, 2015 - 97 comments
Categories: Economy, farming, john key, national - Tags:

John Key brighter future

That was two weeks ago. Then today this happened.

97 comments on “John Key’s brighter future ”

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  1. Bill 1
    7 August 2015 at 3:51 pm

    I know that milk powder and wet milk are different commodities. But when I read the other day that UK farmers get 30p (about 60c) per litre for wet milk, I immediately thought that NZ farmers have a long way to fall yet.

    And nobody seems to mention that whereas the EU didn’t export milk until recently, it does now. Tell me that won’t have a huge, ongoing impact on global dairy prices.

    • lprent 1.1
      7 August 2015 at 4:09 pm

      The Europeans are small cheese in the international milk market (groan).

      Look at the US who have probably tripled their portion of the international milk market in about 5 years in response to the very high prices and now provide about 50% of it. They have an enormous internal market, and the bit sloshing over the borders is teeny to that.

      I never understood why anyone thought that producing high cost (ie big herds using feeders) and not very processed (dehydrated powder!) milk products was ever going to make in-roads in the US market.

    • Jimmy 1.2
      7 August 2015 at 5:43 pm

      Farmers would love 60c/per litre, the current Fonterra forecast of $3.85ms/kg is equivalent of approx 39c/per litre. So its the UK farmers that have a long way too fall.

    • Save NZ 1.3
      8 August 2015 at 11:05 am

      Free trade does not helps our farmers.

      Milk prices show the opposite is happening. Milk prices are falling with these trade deals.

      What is instead happening is that the foreigners are not buying our milk they are buying our entire farms and sending our food directly off shore.

      Our farm jobs are gone as the labour is imported in, cheaply.

      Our biggest export is being destroyed under our noses and the government are trying to make it worse by signing the TPP agreement so it can not be stopped and the other agreements.

      Yes, Labour signed the China/NZ one, but who cares, Labour being unclear on the issue is costing Labour, votes and making voters not trust them by saying MAYBE. Just say NO.

      NZ can not buy Chinese Farms but China (and everyone else) can buy NZ Farms. Does not sound fair to me?

      Today Milk solids are forecast $3.85 per kilo.

      When the China/NZ Free trade deal was made in 2008 milk solids were $7.59 per Kilo.

      Yes there is a short term spike which gets the locals into debt and then when the prices fall due to food scares which have increased under these free trade agreements then local farmers start to lose their farms and they are bought up in bulk by our overseas ‘trade’ partners.

      Look at the Kiwifruit industry also decimated under the ‘free’ trade where pollen carrying the virus wiped out the industry.

      The lesson that corporations show from Free trade is Don’t buy the milk when you can buy the cow and even better the farm! Don’t buy the fruit when you can buy the orchard. Don’t hire a Kiwi when you can bring in cheap labour.

  2. dv 2
    7 August 2015 at 3:59 pm

    There was a report (NBR?) when a dairy farmer with 600 cows has been put into bankruptcy re a debt of 130k by the bank.

    There may be more to it, but that seemed pretty hard nosed of the bank

    • DoublePlusGood 2.1
      7 August 2015 at 4:01 pm

      Should just herd the cows into the bank and leave them there then.

    • Graeme 2.2
      7 August 2015 at 4:34 pm

      High likelihood the cows are leased, the farm’s leased too along with the tractor. And he’s down the hole by a few $/Kg. If he’s lucky he might own his undies, that’s if they aren’t part of what’s outstanding on his Farmlands card.

      That sort of structure is quite common now land and stock prices have gone so high. Some people made some silly decisions on the basis of one year at $8.40

    • GMan 2.3
      7 August 2015 at 6:03 pm

      sad – i saw that to. NBR seem to be helping the banks PR? and maybe manipulating the dollar ??

  3. peterh 3
    7 August 2015 at 4:00 pm

    The flag will save us

  4. Draco T Bastard 4
    7 August 2015 at 4:21 pm

  5. marty mars 5
    7 August 2015 at 4:36 pm

    My heart goes out to those who will be severely affected by this. You have led up the garden path and now you’ll have to find your own way home, meanwhile the bankers will make more money.

    • North 5.1
      7 August 2015 at 5:10 pm

      That’s the sickening guts of it MM. All led up the garden path by an effete wannabe All Black, wannabe ‘Little Churchill’, wannabe confidante of the ‘Big O’, wannabe Balmoral courtesan, wannabe patriarch of a St Stephen’s Avenue Parnell ‘New Camelot’, wannabe every bloody thing high on gauche and tasteless. Personally I blame that grande dame of the National Party Michelle Boag and others of her weird ilk.

      Up-market madam like she’s been proselytising for that shrimp of a man for years.

      Now we pay. As The Ponce Key ponces us off ever more vigorously. The “Brighter Future” was always a very subjective thing.

      • CnrJoe 5.1.2
        7 August 2015 at 8:30 pm

        solid

      • ropata 5.1.3
        7 August 2015 at 10:46 pm

        right on brother.

      • tracey 5.1.4
        8 August 2015 at 7:43 am

        and farmers will keep voting For the Nat band

        • North 5.1.4.1
          8 August 2015 at 8:57 am

          They will…….unable to swallow the bitter pill that the fake Everyman they’ve always so craved to “have a beer with…….” was always the Wall Street/City of London hustler…….expertly, beamingly, wooing them through the front door of the glossy edifice of Chez Cargo Cult.

          On the inside……Oops !……big problem…….only the hustler and a select few have a swipe card for the escape door out back. Rejecting the bitter pill, nauseated stomachs will vomit hateful blame over everyone left, the hustler and crew having already departed enriched and beknighted.

          Too late mates……ya did it to ya’selves. No good looking to the poor. They never had anything anyway. The plunder left with your idol !

    • tracey 5.2
      8 August 2015 at 7:42 am

      250 to 300 Unitec staff to lose jobs. No government help cos the govt has caused it. spare a thought for these folks too. with families and mortgages in a shrinking job area cos of govt funding squeezes and a strategy to turn techs into factories for certain employers. backdoor employer welfare at the expense of passionate and hard working educators.

      • marty mars 5.2.1
        8 August 2015 at 7:43 pm

        Yep heartfelt thoughts for all those facing uncertainty and loss of a job. I have been there, I remember the feelings and the fear.

        • tracey 5.2.1.1
          8 August 2015 at 7:48 pm

          and through it all the genuine concern for students

          • Macro 5.2.1.1.1
            8 August 2015 at 8:40 pm

            “customers” please!

            It puzzles me how the staff at UNITEC haven’t revolted at this. It changes them from educators, lecturers, and academics to the role of “shop assistants”. And I don’t want to disparage the role of shop assistants – but they have an entirely different role.

            • marty mars 5.2.1.1.1.1
              8 August 2015 at 8:51 pm

              This shows the inhumanity of these policies and their proponents – they deliberately disregard the human cost to real live humans of their inhuman policies and they ARE inhuman because they revolve around money.

              Sometimes I wish I could pull the whole edifice down.

              • Macro …
                8 August 2015 at 9:01 pm

                I worked in a posh private school once (Horrid place – couldn’t wait to leave) it was a kindergarten to year 13 school and one newly appointed “CEO type” board member decided it would be a good idea if the staff considered the pupils as customers! Imagine a class of 5 year old “customers”! Fortunately he was quickly disabused of this idea.

              • Macro …
                8 August 2015 at 9:14 pm

                Yeah – hate the term “Human Resources” for exactly the same reason – people are people – not resources to be hired and discarded at a whim. The old “Personal Management ” was far better because it acknowledged that this section was actually dealing with people.

                • marty mars …
                  8 August 2015 at 9:20 pm

                  Based on your experience Macro do you see any connection/parallel between corporate speak and military speak?

                  • Macro …
                    8 August 2015 at 9:59 pm

                    My military career ended in 1987 after 15 years in the RNZN and i returned to education. In the Navy I had several staff appointments in Personal roles and the emphasis was always directed towards ensuring the best for people. I remember one time we had been lobbying hard for increased payment for the people serving on our new inshore Patrol Craft. The govt (National at the time) had purchased these vessels and they were as usual the cheapest option. They were not the preferred vessel because they had been designed for the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific has a different wavelength so they were uncomfortable at best. Anyway the pollies were reluctant to give anymore money so the Admiral had the idea that it would be a good thing to bring them to Wellington and show them off to the powers that be. Fortunately there was a bit of a Southerly blowing at the time the dignitaries were taken out for a ride… The rip at the Heads was enough – back safely on land when the subject of hard line money was raised again it was “how much was it you were asking again?”
                    At that time we changed the service conditions from fixed term 8, 12 or 20 years to an open ended engagement. There was a sudden exodus in some trades. The airforce lost a number of pilots at that time to Air NZ, and we lost heavy electrical engineers to the “think big” projects. One of the roles of the Armed forces in Peace time is as a major training provider for the country. Many of the chefs in hotels and cafes around the country gained their City and Guilds qualifications in the Armed Forces for instance. We were the only places one could gain that sort of training in the 1980’s.
                    So in answer to your question – I would say that the corporate world moving into its neoliberal phase was way more involved in the “new speak” of “Human Resources”and the regard of people as units of production than any thought in the military.
                    There is the general idea that ones identity is reduced to a number in the military – and in some ways that is true. The need to become part of a company or unit and subsume ones identity to the body corp is real. But on the other hand the real military leader, is one who recognises the worth of all under his command, endeavors to openly acknowledge that worth, and works towards developing the full potential of all.

                    • marty mars …
                      8 August 2015 at 10:14 pm

                      Thank you.

                      Yes I was thinking of the whole ‘break them down to build them up’ idea. My brother was a army cadet – I chose Hare Krishna – it was interesting how they were quite similar in many ways.

                    • RedLogix …
                      8 August 2015 at 10:15 pm

                      I was on the last research voyage of HMNZS Tui. A trip out of Devonport, and into the Southern Ocean. Then a long slow grid pattern working our way up the West Coast doing some of the very first research on the Great Oceanic Conveyor Current that rises up from the deep in eddies.

                      The first two days out of Auckland we had a quite nasty easterly storm. The first night I was tossed right out of my bunk and across the cabin twice, before I learned what a dodger was for.

                      The second day or so we met one of those offshore patrol boats somewhere off the East Coast. I thought we were having a rough time of it until I saw what those poor bastards were going through!

                      PS But on the other hand the real military leader, is one who recognises the worth of all under his command, endeavors to openly acknowledge that worth, and works towards developing the full potential of all.

                      This. My best ever boss was ex-Air Force.

                    • Macro …
                      8 August 2015 at 10:34 pm

                      yeah Tui was a lovely little ship I had my worst mal de mer on her too! lol But fascinating that towed array. I saw the results of that round NZ survey she did – amazing.

                    • Macro …
                      8 August 2015 at 10:43 pm

                      You know NZ was gifted her for $1.00! (for those who don’t know she was an ex USN mine sweeper) She had a huge array of batteries for silent running, she was powered normally by diesel electric, and had in her funnel a gas turbine – she could run on her bow thruster as well at around 6 knots. She is now growing coral and sea life off the Northland coast as an artificial reef.

                    • RedLogix …
                      8 August 2015 at 10:49 pm

                      My digestion just shut down. I lived on juice for six weeks. Basically she just corkscrewed her way around the ocean.

                      One of my jobs was deploying the PTC (Pressure, Temperature, Conductivity) probe that we were using to plot the eddy structure. About every 20 min we’d stop and a crew guy on the weather deck above me would operate the winch, while I’d lift the probe over the side and we’d let it go for it’s run. The side deck (can’t remember it’s proper name) if you recall was not too far above the ocean.

                      Sometime on the midnight watch a full, solid bluey came right over the top of me. If not for mandatory harness – would not be here typing this. Didn’t even see it coming.

                    • Macro …
                      8 August 2015 at 10:59 pm

                      🙂 Sounds like you were having fun 😉 – We were out off the East Coast deploying the towed array, and it was rough but sounds like it was pretty lumpy for your stint.

    • weka 5.3
      8 August 2015 at 11:04 pm

      “My heart goes out to those who will be severely affected by this. You have led up the garden path and now you’ll have to find your own way home, meanwhile the bankers will make more money.”

      I would put some dairy farmers in the same category as the banks. Speculators. They knew there was a risk and they chose to bet the farm on it. The writing has been on the wall for a long time. It’s inconceivable to me that most wouldn’t know that the people at the end were going to get burnt.

      • marty mars 5.3.1
        8 August 2015 at 11:12 pm

        Agreed – and they are still people and they will still suffer – for foolishness, greed, ignorance or whatever – they are pretty well just like everyone else in that respect imo.

        • weka 5.3.1.1
          9 August 2015 at 1:33 am

          That’s generous of you marty. I feel for the people that are doing the wage slavery in the dairy industry. The big farm owners who aren’t actually farming, not so much (or not any more than I would for say Key or Bennett ).

  6. Skinny 6
    7 August 2015 at 4:40 pm

    The price of $3.85 is a living. The top dollar price our farmers were getting for many years was never going to last. So as they say “make hay while the sun shines.” Even out over the last 10 years it reads pretty good. The old families will be OK the Johnny come too late not a bright future.

    Guess there will be jobs on night shift at Affco/Talley’s. Straight to the Works after milking and a quick dinner, then 3 hours kip and get the heard into the shed for morning milking.

    • Graeme 6.1
      7 August 2015 at 5:09 pm

      Which is where the tourism industry has been for the last 5 years, along with the most of the farmers who aren’t involved with dairy because of the high dollar. High because of the money flooding into the country to inflate (oh, I mean invest in) the dairy industry.

      We’ve got a gallery in Queenstown the drop in NZD from nearly USD 90c to 65c has been transformational for us, and I know a lot of people who are a lot happier about the coming season. There’s talk of movies again too.

      Hopefully we’ll get a period of more sustainable growth now the “hot” boom chasing money recovers from this dairy debacle.

      • Skinny 6.1.1
        7 August 2015 at 8:58 pm

        In a market dictates all World, Kiwi consumers should see a drop in what they pay for their milk, and more importantly a drop in the price of beef in the supermarket’s. I actually noticed the price of Scotch fillet was cheaper today. It maybe a ploy from my local supermarket & Talley’s after I gave notice of our intentions to picket out front in support of the Talleyban? Anyway back on topic, some farmers will clear out their boner cow stock creating a glut similar to the over supply of milk.

        Another cliche “one man’s loss is another man’s gain”.

        The lower south pacific paso is good apart from the gas tank and if your a sucker for unnecessary imported consumer goods.

    • Jimmy 6.2
      7 August 2015 at 5:46 pm

      Not so sure about that Skinny, it would work if we could have the low price farm input costs of 10years ago.

      • Graeme 6.2.1
        7 August 2015 at 9:33 pm

        Maybe they’ll be going back to a lower input and cost model, or those that aren’t mortgaged to the hilt and trapped into the high input, marginal cost model might.

        It amazes me that people are banging on about NZ being a low cost producer, we were when pretty much all the feed came of the milking platform and a run-off. And without irrigation, now they are irrigating in traditionally green areas and dairying in dry areas with huge inputs. Going to be a few oopses coming up.

        • tracey 6.2.1.1
          8 August 2015 at 7:46 am

          and culling those who chased the high money converting on the basis the golden weather wouldnt end?

          • Jimmy 6.2.1.1.1
            8 August 2015 at 9:32 am

            Farmers I know are reverting back to more traditional grass based systems, but even with low input systems, the costs of essential products like fertilizer, supplement contractors, shed power, rubberware, detergents etc, have all increase a lot since 10 years back.
            And yes some will go too the wall, I know of two in Taranaki that the banks will be culling off their books after Christmas, although I shoulder most of the blame on the farmer/owners in this instance not payout.

            • Graeme 6.2.1.1.1.1
              8 August 2015 at 9:58 am

              It’s a sad inditement on the leadership in the industry that’s pushed the high input, marginal cost model. The banks and suppliers have made a killing out of saying the only way to make money was to get bigger. It’s all good until you’re in a negative cash flow situation and then it turns really bad really fast, and the finance costs reduce your options.

              Hopefully other industries and leadership groups will look at what’s happened here and learn some lessons, and show some leadership to their industries and the country. Part of this must be business and individuals shouldering responsibility for their decisions. It’s got to land back with the banks, investors and especially Fontera. They have to learn not to do it again.

              But I’m not hopeful, Federated Farmers is calling for the government to expedite irrigation and rural services, http://www.odt.co.nz/news/business/351861/govt-urged-fast-track-rural-projects

              So they can produce even more and push the price even lower. They just can’t see what they are doing.

            • RedLogix 6.2.1.1.1.2
              8 August 2015 at 10:36 pm

              And a few I’ve heard of going back to once a day milking Jimmy.

              And the palm kernel feed issue was never going to be sustainable either. And if more New Zealanders had seen the consequences of clearing tropical rain forest – we might not have been so sanguine about it’s use.

  7. Glenn 7
    7 August 2015 at 4:48 pm

    According to Gareth Morgan’s site the lower dairy prices will give another boost to Auckland’s already over the top housing market.
    https://garethsworld.com/blog/property/how-lower-dairy-prices-mean-higher-house-prices-whiteboard-friday/?utm_source=Website+Subscribers&utm_campaign=007912f606-talklaunch&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4401a41867-007912f606-53348193

    The lower dairy prices combined with a slowdown of the energy work in Taranaki are already affecting retailers in New Plymouth and things will get worse in the provinces. It’s not just the poor farmers who will be hit.
    The media keep pushing that dairy prices will stabilize and start rising in the not too far off future which I believe is a pipedream. I hope I am wrong however I think with the worldwide overproduction of dairy the drop still has someway to go..
    And Keys TPPA ain’t gonna help.

    • tracey 7.1
      8 August 2015 at 7:48 am

      ask the canadian dairy farmers why they have the model they do. its to weather the troughs cos they understand the cycle they are part of.

  8. Tombstone 8
    7 August 2015 at 4:55 pm

    NZ now facing far greater ecomomic challenges than during the GFC while Key continues to claim that his handling of the economy is something to be proud of …. sure thing John. If you say so.

    • b waghorn 8.1
      7 August 2015 at 5:06 pm

      Key will just keep importing money via investors.Its his mo

    • dv 8.2
      7 August 2015 at 5:16 pm

      Nat Debt
      NZ$ 101,740,668,960

      Yes I saw that TS

      Bizarre

      • ropata 8.2.1
        7 August 2015 at 10:49 pm

        It’s really cool if you are a foreign creditor

      • millsy 8.2.2
        8 August 2015 at 1:03 am

        I have a feeling that once Key leaves (probably in 2 or 3 years), his sucessor will probably impose an austerity program that will make Richardson’s Black Budget look like tax-and-spend socialism.

    • maui 8.3
      7 August 2015 at 9:47 pm

      Will be a real test of leadership. Oh, where’s our leader gone… John.. John.. are you there? Is there anyone there?.. Bill.. Bill?

  9. JanM 9
    7 August 2015 at 5:56 pm

    I feel very sorry for individual farmers who will face tough times – I have experienced financial ruin at the hands of crooked developers, and being turned into ‘the other’ when the guillotine drops must be one of the more traumatic events that can happen in a lifetime.
    However, there must be some consequence for decades of the arrogance and stubbornness of voting for the Nats in the teeth of logic and with the support of the old boys club of Federated Farmers. Most of my family were/are farmers so I’ve heard all the arguments !
    I live out in the country and feel equally sorry for the cows so cramped in paddocks that they virtually have standing room only – so if this financial blowout stops that at least some good will have been done.

    • Macro 9.1
      7 August 2015 at 8:44 pm

      I live out in the country and feel equally sorry for the cows so cramped in paddocks that they virtually have standing room only – so if this financial blowout stops that at least some good will have been done.

      QFT.

    • tracey 9.2
      8 August 2015 at 7:55 am

      and those who converted when price was high… including those in drought prone areas…

  10. RedLogix 10
    7 August 2015 at 8:28 pm

    The dairy industry in this country will be just fine.

    It just won’t be owned by many New Zealanders anymore.

  11. keyman 11
    7 August 2015 at 9:00 pm

    the is also the advent of the us mega dairy farms

    • Skinny 11.1
      7 August 2015 at 9:35 pm

      I’ve never tasted American milk, I guess it won’t take long after the TPPA is signed.

      • ropata 11.1.1
        7 August 2015 at 10:52 pm

        American grain-fed beef is really damn delicious.
        i had the best steak ever at a bbq in Hawaii

        • Thom Pietersen 11.1.1.1
          8 August 2015 at 2:04 am

          Yup, that’s true – our grass fed cows falling over from bloat and with withered udders taste like shit. Think of the poor coconuts who have the privilege of our ‘prime’ offal cuts.

          Top chaps us Kiwis, no racism here, yum, yum international offcuts – fuck you that’s all that’s on the boat.

          Btw – don’t buy green lid milk – why? It sits at the bottom were there’s less fat in the separation process – unfortunately so does the piss, and the old dears do like a piss when milked. Yummy yummy – straight on my weetbix.

          • marty mars 11.1.1.1.1
            8 August 2015 at 7:45 pm

            “Think of the poor coconuts who have the privilege of our ‘prime’ offal cuts.”

            What does this mean?

            • Stuart Munro 11.1.1.1.1.1
              9 August 2015 at 12:49 am

              On top of the notorious mutton flaps.

              Even a casual glance at Gerry Brownlee tells you that the Gnats have a serious offal surplus – hence Key’s sales pitch “Get some guts”.

              One should not think of Key’s utterances as lies so much as tripe. If you hose the shit off them they can be sold to people you don’t like very much.

      • Macro 11.1.2
        8 August 2015 at 7:51 pm

        It’s crap – and so is their insipid white butter – yuck!
        NZ butter is yellow because NZ milk contains high levels of carotin the result of our cows feeding on grass. Cows in the States and Canada are fed on corn and have low levels of Carotin in their milk. Americans think we colour our butter and can’t believe it that it is so yellow.
        Carotin converts to Vitamin A and retinal in the body which is why nightfighter pilots were said to eat loads of carrots.

  12. Ad 12
    7 August 2015 at 9:27 pm

    First tv news prepared to cover a dairy farm foreclosure will open the floodgates on the government.

    First televised farm implement sale will send a shiver down the spines of the banks.

    With Labour apparently unable to win the weeks’ media with a rural story as astoundingly good as the Saudi sheep one, they should give up.

    NZFirst should be left to do all the rural stories, including the dairy collapse.

  13. hoom 13
    7 August 2015 at 10:59 pm

    Rockstar Economy.
    On the verge of Something Special.

  14. keyman 14
    7 August 2015 at 11:39 pm

    lets not forget farmers voted john key ,farmers polluted the rivers
    they externalized a lot of there costs to the environment and society ,and lot of them don’t pay tax we should not feel sorry for an industry that has not moved up the value chain failed to diversify and stupidly put all its eggs in one commodity and market.
    the crash of the dairy industry and very shortly the new Zealand economy is major case of we told you so Goldman Sachs has predicted a 10 year glut of milk its not coming back anytime soon. banks are not known for being understanding once you cant pay , government debt is going to rapidly increase as the private credit card is maxed out expect a fire sale of any public assets we have left

    • RedLogix 14.1
      7 August 2015 at 11:50 pm

      Fire sale of entire country well underway. Pay attention 🙂

    • Draco T Bastard 14.2
      8 August 2015 at 12:34 am

      the crash of the dairy industry and very shortly the new Zealand economy is major case of we told you so Goldman Sachs has predicted a 10 year glut of milk its not coming back anytime soon.

      Not coming back soon? It’s not coming back ever. Dairy was the Last Hurrah of our agricultural exports. We’ll keep some high priced niche exports going but from here on out they’re in permanent decline as every other nation that we could afford to sell to is now producing their own and no matter how much National lowers our wages local product will always be cheaper.

      Countries do not and should not specialise.

      That is something that the RWNJs just don’t get and it’s what makes trade a small part of the economy and not something that we should be dependent upon.

      • keyman 14.2.1
        8 August 2015 at 8:31 am

        you’re right never and national has squandered the small window between the gfc and today to carry out reform to prepare new Zealand for this day and the future the fault and blame is the john key regime and the john key voters as George bush said these economic terrorists need to be smoked out and removed.

      • Mike the Savage One 14.2.2
        8 August 2015 at 10:33 pm

        They screwed up long ago, also with dairy. Fonterra and others discovered rather late that one can make more from milk than mere milk powder and baby formula. Instead of learning from European countries, who have a long tradition in making countless high quality cheeses and other food products, all we produce is mostly second rate cheese and camemberts and so forth.

        Value adding was the way to go, and should have been pursued a long time ago, and quality and innovation is the only way to go in dairy.

        As for countries like China, they do not rest and slumber away by dreaming only, they are doing all to increase dairy production at home, like most countries do. It is idiotic for Fonterra and New Zealand farmers and some others to believe that while producing only 2 percent of world dairy, they can somehow be in some control of the world market and have ensured markets to sell to at a good price. Event hough New Zealand is a large exporter, that 2 percent of total production is only marginal.

        And like with dairy, too much is produced and exported from here, that has little value added. I have said this before, apart from some tech areas, New Zealand has an economy not dissimilar from a developing or so called “third world” economy.

  15. Smilin 15
    8 August 2015 at 12:17 am

    This another planned development of Global Austerity where the ruling finance corporations call the tune on now the value of commodities and the fact that the costs of war and global security are commanding the premium in the use of currencies to the extent that the west is being devalued in order to write off the losses resulting from military action because the immense cost that cannot be accounted for and this is because we have politicians who rule emotively rather than using what little brain they have to actually to put a country like our own in its true global position on a basis careful action in all facets of govt rather than this adherence to flash in the pan market driven debt based finance system which if this govt looked again how Muldoon dealt with it was far saner than National and Roger Douglas have done since even though Muldoon did commit a major crime in dumping Norman Kirks retirement fund just as this govt has done with Michael Cullens fund .
    The refusal to govern frugally by Keys desire to instill false hope of the nations ability to have a truly measured recovery of the economy is bad management and quite frankly put this nation on the road to ruin by not heeding the warnings that have been around in the last 3 yrs from brains greater than his ego
    Basically Key has been sucking the country dry

  16. Michael who failed Civics 16
    8 August 2015 at 12:25 am

    AFAICS, Labour’s “strategy” seems to be: keep silent and motionless; don’t say a word, especially about policy; and wait for enough middle class voters (about 200,000 under MMP, IIRC) to become disenchanted with Key to the point they tick the box for the B team in 2017. Then just walk into the Beehive and take over wherever the Nats (aka the A team) left off. Responsible government, confidence of the business community, horrendous child poverty, blah, blah. Whatever that litany may be, it certainly isn’t the agenda of a progressive social democratic political party that respects the integrity of a democratic political system, or one that respects the people it wants to trust it with office. OTOH, it’s worked before for them.

    • keyman 16.1
      8 August 2015 at 7:35 am

      team b will walk in to power in 2017 as the receivers of a trashed looted economy thank you national thank you John key and the greedy fuckers who voted for you I want to see a corruption probe into the national party if law enforcement can confiscate the proceeds of crime why cant we go for these bastards

    • JanM 16.2
      8 August 2015 at 8:37 am

      With an openly hostile press constantly at their heels it might be the only way to do things really

      • tracey 16.2.1
        8 August 2015 at 8:43 am

        if we added everything up that bas not turned out right… i bet it is a longer list than clarks govt… and it is nothing to do with gfc or earthquake cos those things provided usefull smokescreens for the lack of any real substance…. and still the wrongly named political journalists seem oblivious

    • Graeme 16.3
      8 August 2015 at 10:50 am

      It’s really sad that it appears this way, but there’s a huge opportunity for the non government parties to show leadership with this, and steer the country and economy to a sustainable path the respects New Zealand and those that live here.

      The “opposition” has bee doing an excellent job of determining how the country is run this term. It mightn’t look like it sometimes, but they have considerable control over what National can do and how they run things. Sometimes I wonder that the opposition parties aren’t doing better where they are than being on the other side of the house. It’s all about having a better country, and that’s having positive and engaging ideas, and engaging with the government when they get it right.

      A good example was Labour’s stance on the TPP end game. They read the situation very well and gave the govt. the space to say no.

      If they keep this strategy going they will little by little make the Nats look out of the picture and impotent. The 200,000 will slip away from the Nats, or they will have to go full Muldoon trying to keep them, and drive 500,000 away.

      By then it’s game over.

      But to be a progressive Government, we still have to hold that 2-500,000 voters. And that means doing the government thing very well, and for a long time.

      • keyman 16.3.1
        8 August 2015 at 6:07 pm

        its hard to be progressive when a country is bankrupt that’s where fucken John key is taking us the writing is on the wall they’ve undone the path Helen Clarke put the country on. and done nothing to prepare the country for the years ahead its heart braking and sad

  17. millsy 17
    8 August 2015 at 1:00 am

    On a personal note, a couple I know have started a contract milking gig this season. The dairy price stats at the moment, suggest that they have an uphill battle ahead of them, especially given that milk output from the herd is more or less not being what it should be (no reflection on them, they are quite unsure about what is happening).

  18. Mike the Savage One 18
    8 August 2015 at 10:23 pm

    The solution that the business “experts” and government may have is likely to be more immigration, by letting in more Filipino and other farm workers, who will work for next to nothing. And with many local farmers going bust next year, there will probably be more foreign buyers of farmland taking advantage of the desperate and debt laden farmers. So under the China NZ FTA, it may even be possible to bring in Mainland Chinese farm workers, who are replaced after a stint working here, by other such farm workers.

    As we know from the examples with the workers brought in to repair the faulty trains that Kiwirail bought from China, they may work for little more than a bowl of rice.

    That will “solve” the cost issues that now exist, and thus Key and his “brighter future” government can rub their hands again, saying, there is no crisis, farms have become “competitive” again, through “foreign investment”.

  19. Treetop 19
    9 August 2015 at 5:02 pm

    John Key’s blighted future.

    Round 2 of the dairy crisis will be China buying up milk solids at a low price and stock piling. As well China has 2 trillion to buy up Aussie and Kiwi farms.

    Fonterra needs to be split into two, a domestic price and an international price. A cheaper domestic price for dairy would lead to a healthier society.