Posts Tagged ‘manufacturing’

The nub of the issue

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, June 19th, 2013 - 112 comments

John Key can’t admit there’s a crisis in manufacturing. His response is to huff and puff and call people bozos. Not good enough. Here are some basic questions that Key should be able to answer…

Manufacturing Inquiry report

Written By: - Date published: 2:59 pm, June 17th, 2013 - 83 comments

The parliamentary inquiry into the future of manufacturing has released its report today. I’ve not had time to read it, but it’s great to see a report by 4 out of parliament’s 7 or 8* parties, showing a united stance to one of our country’s biggest economic problems. 40,000 lost jobs in 4 years; the worst current account deficit in the developed world (overtaking Greece) – and a government that’s ignoring it.  We need some big solutions and a combined force committed to it.

3D Manufacturing

Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, April 13th, 2013 - 125 comments

It seems that 3D Printing is really starting to mature. Such printers are becoming smaller, cheaper and more capable. It’s only a matter of time before builders become obsolete. A lot can be done with the diffuse energy of the sun. Although it has a ways to go 3D printing is the next level in manufacturing.

Jobs & Manufacturing

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, January 31st, 2013 - 75 comments

National is failing to resolve the lack of jobs as they provide a 14-year high in unemployment – even after exporting 180,000 Kiwis to Australia. If we add them in the unemployment rate doubles to 13.8%. More than 40,000 of those job losses have been in manufacturing.  Research says that manufacturing jobs have a multiplier of 2.9, that means about 80,000 other indirect job losses.  Combined that’s 2/3rds of our unemployment rate, just by getting back to where we were when National took office.

EPMU: Manufacturing Strategy Needed

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, January 30th, 2013 - 14 comments

Because the EPMU put it so well – here’s the summary of their submission to the Manufacturing Inquiry.

Crisis, what crisis?

Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, October 19th, 2012 - 92 comments

A great piece by Byran Gould yesterday on National’s refusal to acknowledge the jobs crisis in manufacturing, even as the ANZ says unemployment is on its way up to 7%. National is really on the wrong side of public perception and the wrong side of history here. They look like ostriches trying to deny the problem, while the Left is presenting the solutions.

Does Key give a damn any more?

Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, October 10th, 2012 - 29 comments

My old man, a casual observer of politics, said the other day: “John boy doesn’t look like he wants to be there anymore”. I reckon he’s right. Except when he’s doing photo-ops, Key looks ever more grumpy and aloof. No wonder he’s spending so much time overseas. No wonder he’s making such bad decisions like betraying his promise to the Pike River families.

Manufacturing crisis

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, October 9th, 2012 - 19 comments

If I was at the manufacturing crisis summit this Friday, and if John Key was showing up rather than spending his time on Planet Key and claiming that manufacturing is doing “extremely well”, I would ask him this: How come when Hollywood calls, you drop everything and go; how come you arrest Dotcom for them and give them $50m a year; but when Kiwi jobs are bieng lost, all you have to offer is denials and the cold shoulder?

Key’s snub to unions and workers

Written By: - Date published: 6:37 am, October 9th, 2012 - 99 comments

National promised us an “unrelenting focus on jobs” and delivered record highs in unemployment and emigration.  Now Key is refusing to even attend a Union jobs summit,  because on Planet Key everything is just fine. The unwillingness to admit that anything is wrong is just blind arrogance.