“Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it” – Winston Churchill, 1948
In a speech last week to state sector workers and children in Melbourne, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described a period of economic turmoil in New Zealand: “Starting in 1984, through to the 1990s, we removed regulations that were said to hamper business, slashed subsidies, transformed the tax system, dramatically cut public spending…”
She questioned whether the reforms were really necessary, then explained in a typically emotive fashion, “I was a child back then, but I remember clearly how society changed. I remember nothing of Rogernomics of course – I was five. But I do remember the human face.”
To explain to our Prime Minister why Labour’s reforms were so necessary, we need to revisit history.
For much of its post-colonial era New Zealand was a lucrative source of primary produce for Mother England. With prices set by inter-governmental agreement, our economy was well supported, but highly regulated. To protect the dairy industry, a doctor’s certificate was needed to buy margarine. To protect the wool industry, nylon carpets were banned. Even the railways were protected, with trucks prohibited from carrying freight for more than 30 miles.
Everything changed in 1973 when Britain joined the European Economic Community. Our economic difficulties were compounded by the 1974 oil shock. Living standards fell dramatically from 3rd in the OECD in 1953, to 22nd by 1978.
To revitalise the economy Prime Minister Robert Muldoon introduced a series of “Think Big” projects to make New Zealand self-sufficient in energy. They failed to deliver the promised rewards and their excessive costs added to the nation’s woes. By 1984 New Zealand was on the brink of economic collapse, with high debt, high inflation, and high taxes.
A snap election ushered David Lange’s Labour Party into power. Finance Minister Roger Douglas acted quickly to stabilise the economy, liberating businesses from state control and introducing sweeping public sector reforms.
Jacinda Ardern indicated in her speech that she understood the human side of the upheaval created by major reform, but what she and her fellow supporters of State control conveniently ignore, are the benefits that flow to everyone when the free market is allowed to create wealth.
Regrettably, Jacinda Ardern and the Greens will be taking the country back down the same disastrous State interventionist route followed by Robert Muldoon when they impose their punitive climate change agenda.
What’s worse is that the PM is refusing to acknowledge the magnitude of the economic disruption she is about to inflict on the country. Ironically, she seems blind to the “human face” of rural families and communities.
While shrewd heads of government around the world talk the climate change talk but do nothing that will harm their economies, through their zealotry our political leaders – including the leader of the Opposition – are about to harm ours. While their changes will not make one iota of difference to the planet, they will turn New Zealand into a sacrificial lamb to climate change.
Even veteran broadcaster Peter Williams has had enough: “I’m sorry but my head hurts. I am so over the nonsense that is being propagated by politicians and policymakers about this thing that is now just referred to as ‘climate change’. Every day it is being foisted upon us. The world is in crisis. There is going to be a disaster, a catastrophe. The world is going to end. We have 12 years. We have 10 years. Prince Charles says we have 18 months left before it is irreversible and the world will end.
“Why do we allow people to get away with this? Why is there absolutely no debate that these prophets of gloom may possibly be wrong? Why is it that not just Stuff, but it seems all media in this country refuse to allow even a skerrick of evidence that CO2 may not be the cause of the earth’s warming?
“Why am I so worked up about this? I’ll tell you why. We are being fed BS by our politicians, politicians from both parties who refuse to ask questions? Politicians and policymakers who use the phrase ‘the science is settled’. Science can never be settled. How can science be settled? It’s like technology… it’s always evolving.”
Peter is correct – the climate science underpinning the Zero Carbon Act is certainly not settled. Kiwi scientists are disputing the UN’s estimates that cows and sheep are responsible for generating almost half of the country’s man-made greenhouse gas emissions. They say their methane calculations are flawed and that the warming effect is minimal.
That’s why Jacinda Ardern’s decision to go ahead and impose draconian restrictions on agricultural emissions – in spite of this uncertainty – is so disturbing. The Prime Minister is now on a crusade to reduce stock numbers, even though livestock farmers are the backbone of New Zealand’s export sector – and are crucial to the country’s economic wellbeing.
The PM’s plan is to put so much pressure on farmers that she will drive them out of business – just as occurred in the coal industry, and oil and gas.
So exactly how is she doing that? Here are five ways.
Firstly, Jacinda Ardern is requiring a dramatic cut in methane emissions of up to 49 percent – 10 percent by 2030 and the balance by 2050 – but she is prohibiting farmers from being able to plant trees to offset their livestock emissions, even though other sectors can use forestry. The only option left to farmers to reduce emissions will be to cut livestock numbers.
Secondly, because the Prime Minister wants New Zealand to be a role model for other countries, she has legislated for the harsher 1.5 degree Paris target instead of the more relaxed 2 degree target. This means Kiwi farmers – and other exporters – will face tougher restrictions and higher compliance costs than their competitors, who may face no such charges at all.
The estimated cost of compliance for sheep and beef farmers is crippling – “as high as 123 percent of net profit for an average farm” – while dairy farmers could see profits “cut by up to 60 percent”.
Thirdly, forcing farmers to meet the first of their emissions reduction targets in just 10 years’ time, while everyone else has 30 years to comply, denies them two decades of technological advancement that could help them to fulfil their requirements in a cost-neutral way.
Fourthly, the government’s proposal to subsidise imported electric and hybrid vehicles by up to $8,000 – funded through a tax of up to $3,000 on vehicles with higher greenhouse gas emissions – is yet another hit on farmers. The consultation period for this measure runs until August 20 – to send in a submission, please click HERE.
And finally, on top of all the worry over emissions reductions, more pressure is about to be put on farmers – this time over water quality. The Green Party wants the Government to set a five-year time limit to clean up the country’s waterways, and Environment Minister David Parker appears to agree. He is expected to release revised environmental standards for freshwater soon. But forcing farmers to deal with the new water quality restrictions, could well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
The Prime Minister’s strategy of pressurising farmers is working. A Federated Farmers’ survey reveals that only 10.8 percent of farmers feel optimistic about the future of farming under Labour.
Already there are reports of increasing numbers of farmers selling their farms for other uses, including forestry. This is leading to growing concerns about the downstream effects on rural communities as farm-service industries face closure, and schools struggle with falling rolls.
In fact, thanks to our Prime Minister we could be witnessing the beginning of the decline of this country’s crucial dairy, meat, and wool export base, that generations of Kiwi farmers struggled to build into the global leader it is today.
The impact on farmers of Jacinda Ardern’s climate change legislation – and the economic loss to the country – is so significant that it has been estimated to be the equivalent of a major outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease.
The foot and mouth comparison is particularly apt as this government’s brand of socialism is akin to a disease that kills the entrepreneurial spirit and destroys initiative and wealth.
Their malaise is not only affecting agriculture. Business confidence remains at record low levels. There is little investment and employment growth has stalled. The number of people on the Jobseeker benefit has rocketed 11.2 percent or 14,000, since June last year. Consumer confidence is now in decline, and economic growth is expected to fall as low as 1.4 percent by 2022.
Since Jacinda Ardern has said she recognises the pain of displacement suffered when people lose their jobs and industries close, we would like to know what her plans are to ensure that Kiwi living standards don’t fall when her climate change policies become law.
Other countries have, of course, successfully transformed themselves, including Ireland and Singapore.
Ireland was an agriculture-based society, but turned itself into a modern high-tech economy – a hub for software development and service out-sourcing for many world-leading companies.
The key was the government’s decision to attract investment – including by lowering the corporate tax rate to 12.5 percent, then dropping it further to 6.5 percent for business activities arising from research and development undertaken in Ireland.
Their strategy worked. Ireland has attracted global giants such as Amazon, Facebook, and Google. A thriving research, development and investment sector now exists, with strong government support for productive collaboration between industry and academia. The workforce is highly skilled, and the country has an advanced telecommunications infrastructure, with state-of-the-art optical networks and international connectivity.
Singapore’s transformation is even more dramatic, going from a third world country to a high tech trade hub that is one of the world’s leading economies. The government opened up the country to global enterprise, by building an environment that attracts business with excellent infrastructure, a well-educated workforce, open trade routes, a flexible labour market, and low taxes – the top income tax rate is 20 percent and the corporate rate is 17 percent or 8.5 percent for business income up to S$300,000.
New Zealand economist Dr Edward Hudson, this week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, is a frequent visitor to the US’s vibrant technology hub in Silicon Valley. I asked Dr Hudson to share what he considers to be the secret of their success, and, given the disruption that will be caused by the Prime Minister’s radical climate change agenda, what he thinks could replace farming as our leading industry:
“Can the government help in the development of growth industries? The outlook here is poor-to-mixed. The government enabled the creation of Fonterra but got it wrong – as a supplier-focussed rather than market-focussed business, with monopoly power over farmers, it is unlikely ever to excel in international dairy-products markets.
“Present government policies frequently hinder the growth of innovative industries – the government at present is trying to tax tourism providers; the Resource Management Act complicates the development of facilities; the emergence of race-based provisions affecting business and development (including the Marine and Coastal Area Act) is complicating growth; while trends in labour law are raising costs, especially in the hospitality and tourism industries; and the tax treatment of business is less favourable than in many of our competitors.
“New Zealand has its own successful industries, essentially based on using our natural resources. Helpful government policy, as in Silicon Valley, would be for the government to get out of the way and let the dynamic businesses get on with their growth.”
Sound advice indeed!
Building economic success takes time and there are risks in developing new income streams. New Zealand’s agricultural success had its foundation back in the days when those first refrigerated ships sailed to England. Jacinda Ardern is on the brink of degrading an industry that has taken over a hundred years to build into a mainstay of our economy.
THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
Do you feel optimistic about the future of the economy under Jacinda Ardern’s Government?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| Communism by stealth | Roger |
| We needed a shake up of government. National would not/will not provide it. Sadly it is going to be hard to vote namby hamby Labou Labour out. Although they have the ire of the revenue earners: they have the admiration of the welfare state under belly. | Peter |
| The economy has already slowed significantly. A major building firm in our provincial city is down 50% on last year, and tradies are starting to scratch around for work. I recently needed a builder and quickly found two that could start immediately. A year ago builders were telling me they were booked out six months in advance. The economy is tanking right now, despite what the pollies in Wellington say. They are too far removed from the business to know what is happening. They need economists to tell them, and the significance of the downturn is yet to show up in the actual figures. | JD |
| Cant wait for the next elections. | Brian |
| We will become a third world country under Jacinda and the Greens. | Christine |
| Complete mess, I wish she would look at the economics of the former Soviet Union! Really an “empty head”, BUT she will come up with a plan to “win” voters (same as Aunty Helen did with “interest free student loans). | Martin |
| I am concerned at how inexperienced they are in all matters including finances and how ill-prepared they are to govern our country. | Mary |
| Too risky to hire people with employment laws, OSH, complicated tax. No wonder small businesses don’t take on apprentices. | Martin |
| The sooner she goes the better, but all the parties are as bad as each other! | David |
| No bloody way, I am sick also of this continual talk of Climate Change, I personally think it is going to go the other way, Mini Ice Age and I call all the current people that jump on the CC bandwagon Canutists after King Canute who tried to stop the waves. Yeah right! | Fraser |
| Amateur regal with frippery between her ears. | Kevin |
| One of J’s recent comments I heard was, wait for it, Capitalism is not working (Capitalism is the basis of the Western Democracy which we have successfully lived under since we won the right to do so by prevailing in the @nd world war) The present Government policies are directly aimed at destroying Western Democracy, so I have no confidence in this govt to serve and protect our New Zealand way of life. | Neil |
| I hope that all those who either voted for these losers or didn’t bother to vote are happy with the results | Hugh |
| A dystopian landscape will be what this government brings for NZ. The Green Party have the most dangerous policies and along with the climate bimbo PM need to be voted out forever. We have to suffer her domestic issues of having a baby, her engagement, wedding next, I suppose. This goes to show she wasn’t ready to govern while all these side issues take her time and it is all about her. Apart from her obvious communism, she is inept, infantile and hasn’t a clue about economics. The large idiot smile makes her dangerous as kindness does not make a spine or intestinal fortitude. NZF will automatically go next election as they won’t have enough votes and Labour deserve to be out of power for decades; socialism does not work. National need to get strong leadership and it is not Bridges, Bennett or Kaye. | Monica |
| Climate change alarmism will significantly hurt our country | John |
| She is vacuous and only interested in virtue signalling and trying to be the next Helen Clark | Nick |
| I doubt we will have an e economy if they get another term. New Zealand has no option we must rally the troops and boot them into oblivion once and for all. | Albyn |
| She is a communist | Jonathan |
| There must be a parallel universe where our politicians live, where facts and true information are ignored in favour of immature dreams and bureaucratic without accountability. I live in a different universe, much more natural. | Leonard |
| Optimistic?? I have not felt so pessimistic about the future of our economy since the latter Muldoon years. | Stan |
| The proposed climate change laws will hurt our economy for absolutely no benefit. | Philip |
| Thanks to Muriel for her informative article | Ian |
| Most definitely not optimistic. | David |
| Not only do I not feel optimistic, but I feel quite afraid | Graham |
| She is leading us on a (it feels good) trip to the renaming New Zealand as USSNV United Socialist States of New Venezulea | Roger |
| Too much innuendo without expanding on detail and facts and pandering to minority groups | Alan |
| We need a grown up leader with some work experience. | Pam |
| Definitely not ! | Richard |
| We have too much government interference | Glenn |
| I fear that we are heading into an era of a major mistake and an economic downturn of major proportions with the current governments ideas. | Brian |
| just look at Cuba and any of the old soviet states and the way nz labour is going along the same route will make this once proud country into a laughing stock all caused by one ideology driven women and her nut case green cohouts. but national is nearly going the same way. | Richard |
| She has no idea and her support of minority faction uproar and zealous fanaticism of lefty greenie rubbish is absurd. | Mike |
| A government should provide the best possible conditions for business to flourish, e.g., low tax rates, tax assistance for R & D, labour laws which allow employers to feel optimistic about hiring workers. This government is not doing enough, if any, of these things, which leads to loss of confidence in business, with people not prepared to invest in either a new business venture, to expand their existing business, or to do hire labour. | Laurence |
| Could their system produce worse results than we are currently seeing ? I am extremely skeptical of success, but maybe give them a go – maybe for a specified timeframe. | Laurie |
| Absolutely not. Cindy and crew are a disaster.In fact they are so bad you have to wonder what the real agenda is? After all, no one with half a brain could be as bad as this shower. Are they setting out to deliberately wreck the country?Switzerland do not have these problems. Why not? Because they have Direct Democracy (Binding Referendum) and have had for over 150 years. They are the most successful democracy on the planet. We need to get binding referenda in at the next election. To make sure we do vote New Conservative. | Ronmac |
| I feel very angry and very pessimistic. We have imbeciles at the helm, for whom most New Zealanders did not vote. Those at the helm are either deliberately trying to bring New Zealand to it’s knees or are very stupid, or both. Their behavior is treasonous and criminal. It’s no wonder they have found some excuse to try and remove automatic weapons from the population. Their will be many productive sector workers, who when they realize what’s going on, will be extremely angry and frustrated. God bless NZCPR for at least trying to raise awareness of this government’s disastrous policies. My message to all concerned is, do not give up your weapons. | Dianna |
| I can’t believe how Jacinda Adern is maintaining her popularity as everything she touches seems to be so disastrous | Janet |
| She must go now! This single use plastic bag has outlived her usefulness, not that she was ever useful. | Norm |
| She doesn’t have a clue what she is doing. | Lee |
| Adern’s socialist focused vision will eventually see her driven out of office. She like many in her government have a myopic and dismissive respect for history. | robert |
| Absolutely NOT | Tim |
| Definitely NOT | Colleen |
| She is not an elected leader, and therefore has NO right to implement the far reaching changes she is imposing on OUR Country. She must be stopped | Mike |
| Zero Carbon Bill will wreck this nation. | Michael |
| To many brakes being applied | Warren |
| she and her govt are so limited in brains | barry |
| The glass is half empty ………. and leaking ! | john |
| The industry I am in generally feels downturn ahead of most other sectors and we are certainly feeling it now. | John |
| NOt by any means,nothing but ignorant and arrogant policies to make her look good and get a future job at the UN! | Steve |
| Jacinda Hi-jarby is so whacky there will be pushback. Of course, she is a virtue signaling UN puppet with NZ down her list of ajenda. If I am wrong it certainly looks like it. | Peter |
| It’s been a disaster from the start. It is not going to get better – only worse. I fear for my kids future – there won’t be one at the rate we are going. Give the job of PM to someone who has had a real job. She is totally out of touch with reality. Peter Williams has assessed it all very correctly and accurately. I am seriously considering emigration if all this crap goes ahead. | Kevin |
| Unfortunately, New Zealand has embraced socialism. The bureaucracies are expanding and the private sector is shrinking. To make it all happen the government is borrowing $5 Billion a year and hiding the facts within the Budget. So what does the future hold?: – More and increasing borrowing; and An emerging humanitarian crisis – A rising house shortage – Receding wealth creation – A stronger financial connection between the state and the population – Increasing anti-business private sector sentiment The labor coalition is going to present the electorate with new borrowing plans to ‘continue the visions’ of the last election. Advice – Don’t buy it!!! | Frederick |
| She’s a clear and present danger to NZ society, economy and wellbeing. | Margaret |
| Another socialist disaster! | Peter |
| she knows nothing about economyOnly to make sure to keep handing out millions that will vanish and no progress.This is done to get the votes.Both parties do it.Disgraceful. | lorraine |
| Socialism at its worst,she’s full of bs. | Marie |
| Sounds to me like Muriel Newman is scaremongering now. | Lesley |
| NZ sinking Lord, Kumbaya. | Martin |
| They are incompetent idealastic fools | Maurice |
| There does not appear to be anyone in Arderns Government that is capable of making a sensible decision on anything. | Steve |
| NO, Between Taxinda and her crazy lot and the mad Greens NZ is stuffed. | Athol |
| Taxcinda has no clue what pain she is about to create I don’t believe we can get her out fast enough | Darag |
| Not in a million years. | Clark |
| No, definitely not. This is all very concerning. | Jane |
| The ‘human face’ would have been much worse if Muldoon had stayed in power. The PM sees the world as it should be, not as it is. | Roger |
| It seems like the country will be up the creek without a paddle | Barbara |
| She is not looking at the big picture, very reactive. | Bo |
| The PM has no clue whatsoever on how to run a Country | Gary |
| Climate nonsense | Alan |
| How long before Douglas-style deregulation again becomes imperative? | Colin |
| It would appear that this Government are unable to read let alone read history. The Muldoon Government bankrupted the Country , and thank God for Roger Douglass he saved New Zealand. It is not necessary to dwell on the details, because all thinking people will know. However it looks like this mob are setting their sights on the same path and must be stopped | John |
| Labour is leading New Zealand into oblivion. | Ronnie |
| Just giving a hand out not a hand up. | Paul |
| Agriculture feeds people, converting productive land to pine forests is dumb, and shortsighted If you want to reduce pollution reduce the number of airplanes flying, Anyone have a good recipe for pine needle soup ? | Bryan |
| She will cripple the economy if her proposed extreme restrictions become law. | John |
| We are fast reverting to a peasant economy. | Errol |
| Under Arderns Government N Z is stuffed there is no positive direction coming from Her government and those M P s who have the power to make policy are completely lacking in experience .So New Zealand will see a major reduction in our living Standards .And we will be $ broke. | Ken |
| Global warming is good for all life. The socialist government will drive our country to economic run. | John |
| Get rid of them | Dave |
| Everything is falling apart and i do not have a lot of hope we can change the government this time round either. The climate emergency thing is ridiculous. We should be trying to find better ways to deal with all rubbish we generate | Liz |
| Absolutely not. Just wait until their second term when they will go for it and introduce more extreme damaging irreversible socialist policy FOR GOD’S SAKE NATIONAL PULL YOUR FINGER OUT AND MAKE BOLD COMMONSENSE POLICY AND LEADERSHIP STATEMENTS THAT WILL ENCOURAGE SUPPORT TO OUST THIS IDEALISTIC PC MESS MMP HAS DELIVERED . | David |
| she is a fool not enough background knowledge | John |
| No, the Labour-Green-NZ First Combo of losers is steering us down a blind doctrinal path to disaster. They are totally blind to reality; and bent on totally killing off any voice of dissent. Their every move is pandered by a news media that has lost all ability to challenge and question. And where, oh where, is the feisty political opposition? | Rob |
| When they encourage people not to work and become reliant on the Govt, is not good for the economy | Colin |
| Complete farce of a government! | Pete |
| Like all socialist governments, they are making a mess of things by being anti capitalism and pro “give it away to those that don’t contribute”. | Derek |
| Being taxed to death & destroying the country from within | Noel |
| Please Please vote her out in the next election before we are all reduced to poverty as she puts in place AGENDA 21 and 31 for the UN . Please google ” Wake up New Zealand ” and scroll on the left to click on Agenda 21 . There are many pages of explanation , very comprehensive . The restoration of our Farmland to forestry and wilderness , taking our properties , no one will be allowed to own anything and herding us into cities ,all part of the plan . When you have read it , every thing that is happening will make sense as NZ as usual has jumped in , boots and all , to be first for this agenda. Getting the country deeply into debt is part of it . So that we will beg for help , and as a result eventually be controlled . As far as Climate Change goes , no news items mention the Geo -Engineering of the Weather that is carried out around the world google Geo-engineering .org Dane Wigington , or the Military installations called HAARP that can control Weather . | Colleen |
| She is a politician not a business woman. No idea as to how to run a business successfully. No economic sense at all. | Russel |
| Not at all. | martin |
| She lost my vote forever, when I discovered she was the ex President of the Socialist (COMMUNIST) Party. | George |
| I’m extremely concerned at the direction Jacinda Adern and the Government are taking this country. There seems to be no care on her part as to the destruction she is causing with this so called zero carbon regime. I can’t understand how there’s is no one standing up and condemning it. | Vivienne |
| when you have a bunch of losers as government we all become losers as well. meanwhile China does its own thing…and buys more and more of NZ. | Zoran |
| too much press coverage of a leader who does not have the business skills to run a country. She will bankrupt our beautiful NZ | Jenny |
| This Socialist Government is intent on tearing down our capitalist economy | Max |
| She doesn’t understand anything about finance | Maureen |
| Ardern’s “government” has been disastrous for this country. Never before has such a bunch of inept, incompetents and utter wackos been granted the keys of our state. God knows what our economic condition is now – or what it will be by election time next year. | Jim |
| It is treasonous what these Comrades are doing to us. I include NZ First in this. After all it was Winnie that dealt us this hand. | Geoff |
| Destroying the country so Arden increases her world profile. Whatever NZ achieves in reducing our carbon emissions, will have effect on the world climate. | James |
| Labour are only good at spending the money They have no appreciation that the money is flinched off the hard working taxpayers. They want glory at the taxpayers expense. | Colin |
| No Comment! | BILL |
| Sadly we have allowed the minority take over the running of this country, as well as let the Civil Servants dictate the Countries policies We need to change the Government but there is no opposition to consider at this time. | Neil |
| No I don’t. They are a disaster for this country now let alone when they unleash their zero carbon policies The cost of living will sky rocket – let’s wait until it hits the lefties in their own pockets and see how they stand | Carolyn |
| It’s a train wreck waiting to happen. | Allan |
| That woman at the helm and her bunch of demented glove puppets have yet another year to drive our country into the ground. Enough time to do a lot of damage to us. This idiot government might be able — despite the damage already done- to get re elected by chardonnay socialists and other clowns and complete the utter destruction of our economy in the space of three more years . After that even the most deluded idiot will realize that he/she has bet on the wrong horse and have to pay the bitter price for this socialist agenda. To rebuild this country after these riders of the apocalypse have struck is entirely another matter. | Michael |
| Jacinda & her evil bed-fellows are determined to cripple the economy, destroy our sovereignty, which will allow her GLOBALIST masters to take over, as is the plan for the rest of the Western world if Socialist Parties, like the Democrats in the USA are given governance. .. | A.G.R. |
| nats or the govt of 3, , far from optimistic from eithers performance, ncp makes sense to me….. | Wayne |
| The Greenie part of this Govt must go. The sooner the better. Many members of the public refer to the Green as the Loonie Party. Their Zero Carbon Bill proves the point. | Carolle |
| most definitely NOT | Gordon |
| Downright afraid | Helen |
| The government is going to bury the agricultural sector which provides so much of this country’s wealth. | Terry |
| Labour’s policy pushed by the Green Party introduces a new tax at every turn of the way, despite their promise of no new taxes. The policy of throwing money at every whim and advisor, every committee and every provincial wish list is disastrous because in order to pay for that more is borrowed or a new tax is instituted. After the last election it was said Labour will tax everything, spend everything and borrow everything. How True. Business confidence is dropping quickly, unemployment is growing, interest rates are lowering and for those relying on term deposits for a bolster for their superannuation the news is all bad. It is all doom and gloom. It’s all very well to have younger members of parliament and Prime Minister but they have no business experience nor any financial knowledge of balancing a budget. Set up another committee of advisors and pay each one $1,000 a day. It will fail just like the Capital Gains Tax. What a waste of money that was after 18 months of achieving nothing. | Chris. |
| We are being bombarded by so much nonsense on climate and race and the rewriting of history that many will swallow the garbage that it is. | Bruce |
| No. Just like the devil-spawn Helen C, she will feck it up completely. It’s the only possible outcome of a Marxist mis-government. | Mark |
| Socialism and State Control are proven failures. | Gerry |
| Too much government control, the Arden col is heading down the communism route which will never work (RIP 1917-1989) | Les |
| Secret Maori land deals, beaches and sea floor deals, stopping oil and gas exploration and continuous gifts of millions of dollars., And gifting millions to Al Gore and his Paris Climate change which is also a large farce. | Ian |
| How could anyone feel optimistic about the future of our economy when we are saddled with a government which appears to wreck industries which are tried and true. First it was the Oil and Gas industries and now, no doubt through the efforts of the Greens we are starting down the road of destroying our farming industry. This lot haven’t got a clue between the lot of them. Thanks a heap Winston. Jim | Jim |
| no way ,we are already going down the drain,we are also heading for a racial disaster with all these millions of dollars being used for vote catching being GIVEN to part maori outfits, what a shambles we have on our plate | James |
| we have become a lazy lot who demand more for doing less. Just about everybody is living on some kind of state sponsored welfare. | Bernard |
| No but what NZ does is probably irrelevant. USA and China are up to their eyebrows in debt. US $25 trillion. The sum is beyond repayment and all that matters is the creditors believing that sometime in the future interest on that an continuing advances to cover foreseeable deficits will be met. This perception is dependent on three factors. One the deleterious effect of global climate change. Two the ability to fund the carbon neutral economy and its resulting productive capacity and three the incessant demand of free stuff and compensation for the first two items by the populace. I expect the world economy will collapse to worse conditions than experienced in the 1930’s for which the general population is even less prepared than then .The question NZ’ers need to ask” if I couldn’t trade my labour for food , would I be able to feed myself?” | Mervyn |
| Definitely not. We are heading for Socialist Control over everything we do. Our said rights as NZrs are being slowly taken away. Farmers are being hit. The Climate Change Hoax is dumbing down the people. They are being brain washed with the Main Stream Media. Global warming wasn’t working so lets try Climate Change. Look up the Club of Rome and find out how they wanted to keep control of the population with fear. Enough is Enough wake up people | Pauline |
| We are affected by the USA decisions. | Hone |
| This Socialist Government does not understand how to foster Business! | Ken |
| So much that this government is doing is hindering farming, hindering business & reducing confidence in the population, quite negative. | Donald |
| Jacinda is idea logically driven and has absolutely no idea what drives an economy. | Tony |
| She wants us all living off the state we will be in the gutters before we know it. | Colleen |
| How many more highly paid working groups are going to be set up to no effect? | Catherine |
| Absolutely not. Jacinda and her loony Green party people will wreck the economy and while they and the army of State servants will keep their overpaid salaries while the real wealth producers will suffer all the effects of the present government’s stupidity. | Colin |
| Emphatically – NO!!! Socialism never creates wealth it attempts to redistribute it; always downwards to the people who have not the ability or intelligence to create it for themselves, at the expense of those who have. Socialist states are where previously healthy economies go to die | TOBY |
| Absolutely no no no no! Why is people cannot understand simple principles of how Government interference “forces” debit and a worse standard of living!!!! | Joe |
| Too many knee jerk policies & pandering to small parties & pressure groups is sending NZ down a fragmented path that will only lead to destruction, of the economy, of society & create more & more division. | Nick |
| Ardern is the most malignant entity in the country, totally evil. along with the mentally unbalanced greens. | Chris |
| The same old, farmer hammering, economy crippling, unrealistic ideals coming to the fore……AGAIN!! This mob has got to go.! | Grahame |
| Ardern is hellbent on destroying this country. She may as well invite Kim Jong-un to aim his nuclear warheads in our direction. Stupid is as stupid does. | Jon |
| Jacinda Adern and cronies are mad people. When these people can stop volcanoes erupting, fires burning, floods and so many natural happenings all which produce oodles of carbon and devastation – not to mention humans farting, which, I guess is politically incorrect then maybe they can begin looking into the so called ruination of our country by farming practices although the farmers and their animals keep us affluent as a people since refrigeration allowed shipments of produce. What a sorry lot of people we have in parliament trying to make names for themselves. Grrr | Elizabeth |
| There are none so blind than those who deliberately wont see! and the ‘Tooth Fairy’ is coming across as an ignorant little know it all schoolgirl! | Ron |
| Sadly, not in the slightest. I still have friends who vote Labour because their parents did !! Very hard to have balanced discussions. Whangarei have declared a climate emergency because of our coastline and supposed rising sea levels, yet the mayor has happily opened an area of 40 plus sea level sections. Figure that out. | Dick |
| Her Coalition Government will bring our economy down on it’s knees. We must get rid of her Socialist Government ASAP. | Darryl |
| Too much interference in people’s lives, business etc., incompetence seems to rule in many areas, and typical socialist “lets try to make everyone equal, despite who puts in how much effort in the first place. Disgusted with this lot. | Roy |
| Nationals plan is?? Keep selling Aotearoa to the highest bidder! | Knuckles |
| What a disaster about to happen! | Terry |
| We are headed in the wrong direction by this Government. ! It is Employers who risk their capital to produce jobs and wealth who are important and must be encouraged. The whole Country needs to substantially raise its productivity in all sectors and the better this is achieved then the more increases in salary and wages can be achieved and thus everyone should do better financially and on the health & happiness scale ! Socialism and hand outs are a disease !! ALL people in New Zealand must be encouraged to work harder ! Too many are now coasting and leaving the REAL work to the minority. | Andrew |
| These virtue. Signalling muppets are going to cost this country very dearly and the Govt intervention in the Ihumato Land issue is a very worrying development and they have no place interfering in the rights of property ownership let alone all the other nonsense creeping in | Phil |
| First the rural sector to be sacrificed on the altar of climate change while ignoring the fact that agriculture is the lifeblood of the country. Idealism rules in this government. | Jane |
| What we is another Donald trump to run the country not the clowns we have now. Even the opposition seems clueless as to whats happening Where were they educated ? What has happened to the people who are skilled in finance ,business economics etc why don’t they protest. The whole parliament and voting system needs a complete overhaul and as Donald says we need to drain the SWAMP | David |
| She is being controlled by the UN, and in turn is trying to control us, the people by passing legislation without consulting us. She is not a good PM in my opinion. | Kate |
| far too much has been traded due to the bloody greens. Anything to gain power eh ? | William |
| Marxist Communism by stealth. In order to usher NZ into the fold of the NWO the marxists must break the internal resistance of citizens by depleting the middle class wealth base. Here is marxism in action, bankrupting the farming community by bogus regulation. Recession to follow. | Richard |
| under Labour / Greens and NZ First, this country is stuffed. | Clifford |
| She is a child with big complicated toys she just doesn’t understand. | Rod |
| Climate change is not new -it has been going on for millennia. A small eruption of a volcano probably can have mor effect on climate in a few days than humanity. We humans think that we are so influential over climate – how presumptious! | Paul |
| a great article, be sure to follow the Peter Williams “enough” link and then go to his “watch this” link….it is BRILLIANT, and should be required reading/listening for all politicians who are bent on destroying this country | Alan |
| This Labour Government shows all the hallmarks of incompetence and policies derived from flawed ideologies. | Murray |
| Jacinda’s reputation is founded on he handling of the Christchurch atrocity. In my opinion she hasn’t done anything of consequence to improve our economy. | Ted |
| Definitely No! | Robin |
| I think the main cuprits are the Peters Party. Sadly it has now reached a stage that Peters is no longer needed by Labour/ Greens. Both latter mentioned Parties are hell bent on destruction of the NZ way of life. Once more Peters will have left a legacy even worse that Robert Muldoon. Ironically Peters is the prodigy of Muldoon. | Tony |
| Things need to be researched more. people are always getting hit hard with this and with that. Look at this tax thing about cars and how dairy cows etc changing our planet. people need growth with in the country to have jobs. Not things closing down and no jobs. If people have no work you better start thinking were you fine the money to keep people. people need to live. | Robert |
| I fear for the future of this country and the future of our grandchildren. We are being crippled by an ignorant woman leading a government of fools. God help us! | Valerie |
| The climate change indoctrination being shouted from the rooftops is little more than propaganda structured to frighten people enough to “tow the line” and agree with draconian laws coming from Parliament (agreed treasonously by National as well) that are NOT for the good of New Zealanders or our country but for the agenda of a one-world government that parliament is marching in step to. It’s like watching our country be taken over by zealots with not even a whimper. | Kate |
| The current government bring us backward instead of moving forward. | Lian |
| Not with the negative impact of government policies on agriculture. The Zero Carbon bill practically ignores Article 2 of the Paris Accord to maintain food production. The NZ policy will transfer agricultural production to countries with greater emissions per unit of produce, resulting in a negative global effect. Duh! | Alister |
| When you stop using natural gas there is something fundamentally wrong. This just crazy !! | John |
| This govt is obsessed with Climate change with stupid laws that are wrecking our economy. The extent of our NZ pollution is so low as to be negligible on world standards. | Graeme |
| She’s a dreamer ???? | Graeme |
| PM is out of her depth | Ray |
| No – hell no! | Scott |
| She & her Govt are a major concern, not in the real World | Graeme |
| Their brand of socialism will slowly but surely turn us into the Venezuela of the South Pacific | Dave |
| I do not in any Way feel Optimistic about Jacindas ‘Future of The Economy.’ | Barbara |
| You have said it all. She has no market driven business experience, the only thing she has that is better than most is a prominent set of top teeth! | norman |
| No confidence in Labour’s Economic abilities, but then, under Bridges, does National fare any better? I doubt it. As for the Greens, hahahahahaha (this is Hysterical raving laughter), they wouldn’t know how to capably run a small-town 4 Square shop. Thank God I am 80yrs old, and don’t have to be dragged into the 4th world country that politicians are creating – how can they be so Stupid ? ? ? | MervB |
| They have lost the plot…. Achieved nothing since being elected. FAILURE | Carl |
| Absolutely not. Splashing the cash in a receding economy = increasing debt. It’s a short term reckless fizz & pop. | Donald |
| No. As a ‘Dyed in the nylon’ socialist she has a head full of off-planet nonsense concerning ‘climate change with all its disastrous knock-on effects for NZ. What a perfect poster-child for the NWO elites whom she apparently serves, to our enslavement. | Robert |
| How can we? Seems every month some new crazy idea is floated. None give the business community any confidence in their own future, or the future value of our currency either. | Hugh |
| Zero Carbon Bill = zero humans as a human is composed of 18% carbon – this Government cannot tell the difference between CO2 and C – ignorant ideological lemmings | Rex |
| Just look what has happened in the past. | clive |
| Very concerned about our economic future, for farmers and small business in particular. | Barbara |
| Greens are dopey/ doping | Terry |
| With no economic or political acceptable knowledge from any of this Government Members, especially from the PM, this country of ours is descending rapidly into a very poor 3rd world arena! | Roy |
| I am totally pessimistic about where our country, both socially and economically, is headed. This pack of idiots trying to run this country haven’t a bloody clue. It would appear also that they are handing the country over to Maori so there’s no hope for the rest of us | Mike |
| We have known for years, [almost since they have been a political force] Labor has hated farmers! Labor was formed in the 20-30’s to give voice to the Union movement, which they [socialists/communists…thru the teaching of Marx/Lenin] believed was exploiting the working masses/urbanites.This may have been the case? But Labour has ‘morphed into an extreme left-wing monster under the freedom of democracy. We are being lead/forced down a path of economic and social disaster. | Cedric |
| We’re in reverse. | Neil |
| It just keeps getting worse the longer they are in government. Unbelievable how anyone could be so stupid, but I guess an ideology looks beyond common sense. Hopefully National can stop everything and get normality back when they get back in next year. Vote this non mandated government out. | Graeme |
| Jacinda and most of her caucus are abysmally stupid or just plain evil. Their following of strategies popularised by Mussolini, Hitler and FDR are not conducive to a bright future for most New Zealanders | Mike |
| Whatever we do will have zero effect on the world environment. Our total emmisions are so close to 0% of the worlds that it wouldnt even matter if we doubled them. | Charles |
| In my lifetime of close on 80 yrs.this would be the SHALLOWEST bunch of Govt.MPs I can recall. | Brett |
| If people opened their eyes & that includes the NATIONAL PARTY they,d SEE jacinda & the greens are ruining N.Z. & jacindas RACIAL POLICIES for iwi ETC are giving power/say to less than1/4 of people who are PLAIN:LY NOT WANTING TO BE N.Z,ERS BUT SEPERATES with their SAY what any N.Zealander CAN & CANOT DO & make us PAY for doing something.SHE NEEDS TO GO & NATIONAL NEEDS TO GET SOME STRONG EMAILS TO WAKE UP. | Cindy |
| I do not see any policies to be enacted to replace the loss of revenue from agricultural exports. Nothing has been said about retraining workers who will lose their jobs. Other countries must surely wonder why we are commiting economic suicide for half a degree. | Dennis |
| No way. Back to the past. Where are today’s equivalents of Roger Douglas and Richard Prebble? Look up David Kear ex Director General of NZ DSIR He explains how this GW/CC nonsense started. | Doug |
| She is a socialist disaster hell bent on crushing our economy especially the farmers. Her climate change aspirations are unfounded and naive.Please save us from the Jacinda Derangement Syndrome. | Bernie |
| I believe it will lead to a recession, though the lack of leadership,from the National party (I am a long time National member) is frustrating me to the Maximum! | Cyril |
| There is more division between rich and poor and more racial tensions than there ever has been! The future looks bleak! | Chris |
| Too much money going to the wrong places. | Pamela |
| She is destroying the Nz we all loved. | K |
| And what’s with the RMA change? I thought National tried to change it but was blocked by labour, greens and the Maori party. | Don |
| How can I be when she has plainly said what the old labour/socialist/fabian lot have said all along? She does not like capitalism in the raw so she is socialist through and through. | Ray |
| I think the present government is incompetent. They are ruining the economy. | Kaye |
| farming is so important to our economy that she is going to kill our farming industry to the detriment of all NZers | Graeme |
| Socialism is all good,until you run out of other peoples money. M. Thatcher | Sid |
| You can not run a country (or business) on emotion. Sound practical working principles are whats needed. | Gary |
| Sad ruination | Peter |
| I think the same we are sliding into another Rogernomics era. They no not what they do! | Christina |
| Climate change is a socialistic political tool | Bruce |
| Absolute disaster. This woman has a big mouth and graduated wrapping fish and chips | Jeff |
| A big absolute NO. Why on earth don’t Governments look at other countries and see what works and what doesn’t? We just seem to be going down the path of proven failures in other countries. I’m really fearful for our future. I can see anarchy in the streets eventually and the divisions getting wider. It’s very worrying. | Helen |
| It has been said that Communism is Socialism in a hurry. If a dictator seizes power in this country, the Green Agenda will go out the window. It will have been the means that delivered the end – total control. Thankyou Muriel for a horrifying/excellent article exposing Jacsinista’s road to commufascism!!! | Don |
| This government has shown no sign by policy or action of the basics of economics. In fact what they are proposing on a number of fronts may well end up being the ruination of this country’s well being. Why else is business confidence waning? Its not rocket science. | chris |
| NZ suffers from a lack of competent opposition. So many critical issues need confronting. | Lawrie |
| slowly going ddown the gurgler polecies | John |
| No, she is too reactive. | Kane |
| This administration is a disaster, eclipsed only by the disastrous National opposition. What a prospect. | John |
| Your ‘Sacrificial Lamb’ article is spot on. It seems a rebellion is needed… | Tony |
| Why change a successful system ? | David |
| It’s all spend on non productive things .She is so shallow a debater but nothing else .it is a scary time no vision for growth. | Brian |
| She is a disaster in slow motion ! | Brian |
| Government based on ideology with no concept of how to pay for their personal wishes or understanding of the costs being imposed on everyone else is of huge concern. | Maurice |
| No EVIDENCE that ‘green’ policies will alter the ‘climate change’ process – but still the politicians insist that little NZ should lead the way (Japanese for harkiri) | Michael |
| Their naive idealistic leadership is bad for this country. A time goes by and pressure comes on their lack of knowledge and caring is astounding. | Stewart |
| We are on a modern day Titanic, headed for a complete Disaster. I reiterate. amend our Nation Anthem to GOD SAVE NEW ZEALAND. No wonder all Circuses around the World, can not get any Clowns, they’re all in Politics. | Geoff |
| No thinking person could be feeling optimistic about the future of NZ under the current dictatorial ‘regime’. | Jude |
| Undoubtedly negative | Bob |
| A PM who seems big on talk and promises but slow on action. | Joseph |
| Bring back overseas investors | Kobus |
| I can’t think of any country with a socialist government where everyone thrives. The current mob have no idea, and only seem interested in virtue signalling. | Mark |
| Only a Government can destroy an economy in 3 short years. Sadly, how long will it take to recover? | Olive |
| It’s basically a socialist agenda. | Barry |
| The Age of Hope has rapidly dissappeared and now through Adern and her Green Colleagues we have the age of unprecidented FEAR!! Fear breds utter foolishness not the wisdom required to survive and thrive. Winston will you rescue us, or have you lost your Hope as well? NZ was threatened with mass exodus from the Muldoon Policies. We (the good upright citizens full of trust) now face mass Extinsion through the Adern policies. Goodby NZ as we know it. Sob. | David |
| This woman will go down in history as the least competent and most opportunistic prime minister in NZ. | Jenny |
| This is probably the least competent government in New Zealand’s history. Hysterical over reaction is no way govern a country. | Lee |
| Just completed the Clean Car survey. Government just wanting to spend heaps for no reward. What a nonsense!!! | RICHard |
| The business of running a country cannot be carried out by people who have no business experience | Tom |
| Impossible to feel anything but pessimistic about this inept government. They don’t even have the ability to realise just how hopeless they actually are. Problem is National are chasing to the left all the time and are hopeless as well. | Roger |
| parliament is being run by a bunch of snowflakes that frankly have no business ethics and pander to the tribal elitists. | Wayne |
| She is following the U.N. doctrines i.e. cripple the country economically. tax the middle class into submission, take away the means for an uprising, restrict public movement by reducing private transport and force everyone to live in cities as they are easier to control. | Bruce C |
| She and her government seem intent on forcing their views on everyone regardless of experienced advice. | Arthur |
| Socialist idealist academics who have never done a real days work in their lives have no idea how the real world makes a dollar. They only know how to spend | Russ |
| At the last election, Labour and the two other supporting parties did not in their wildest dreams, expect to win the election. This was born out by the fact that after nine years in opposition they had not formulated any policy and in a knee jerk reaction had to create add-hock groups to advise on how to manage the economy. The sooner they go the better off the country will be. | Barry |
| I am very concerned about the increasing state control of ALL our lives & the attacks via both legislation & punitive taxation by government on various facets of society. | Tracy |
| They seem to be clueless. | Gerhard |
| most certainly not | Alistair |
| Our PM is a nutter. My business is surviving (just) but other businesses here are close to closing down. We are doomed. | Shane |
| What is there to be optimistic about, unless you%u2019re unemployed, on a benefit, in a state house, with a big family and a Labour supporter | Trevor |
| No I dont feel optimistic about NZ’s future under Labour but i wouldnt feel anymore comfident under National. They both screwing the country but in different ways. I also think moat dairy farms are over stocked to the detrememnt of the stock, the people, the rivers and the climate. Less stock would mean healthier cows and farm enviroment giving the same return in kg’s of milk. | Matthew |
| God help us all! | Bruce |
| Got to change this government. | Andrew |
| She is a complete naive idealist | Stuart |
| These policies will be a disaster as, it appears, is everything they touch. I fear for the future of my grandchilddren as the work conditions of their parents, one a specialist doctor at Auckland and the other an IT specialist trying to assist companies comply with ever changing rules. | Paloma |
| My business is just idling as are most of my customers, whenever Labour are in the country comes to a stop till we get rid of them. | Nigel |
| This govt. is ideologically driven is scientifically mathematically and financially illiterate. The ZCB is going to increase poverty for no benefit to the climate. It is delusional of the Govt. to believe that thru policy means they can alter the temperature of the earth by 5/10000 degree C 100 years from now (our share of Paris agreement) when they have demonstrated policy failures in housing, employment poverty you name it they have failed. | Kevin |
| From one Blunder to the Next. | Roger |
| Ardern is a communist and Marxist pretending to be a centrist and is really in love with the greens god help us if they every marry! | David |
| They need to go back and check the science before inflicting the draconian measures. Dire predictions from 30years ago have not happened! | Marianne |
| I believe, given time, things will improve and the people will be better off. The tragedy is the number of poor, homeless and disadvantaged people who have suddenly appeared adding to Jacinda’s problems! Why did they not speak up when the Nats were in power? They all existed then, but knew to keep their heads down. I am aghast at the levels of ‘poor me’ and ‘why does the Government help?’ which are now so very prevalent in the whole country. Maybe Adolph did have the right idea? Put them in camps and make them work! e.g. Shift the bludgers to the West Coast to get the beaches cleaned, instead of wasting the NZ Army time. | Mika |
| Under this regime I fear for the future generations of this country. We need a Trump style leader who puts New Zealand and its people above all else. | Rod |
| I see the ‘me ,me, me’ knows best approach from so many unelected, (appointed from partisan party list) politicians with obviously little or no understanding of or experience of ‘real life’ and who now are slowly but deliberately strangling this country’s broad life blood. I understand it is called “autocracy” – uncontrolled authority. | Stuart |
| The longer labour is run by Jarcinda, the worst NZ will get. This country is F—–d. | Reg |
| The United Nations Agendas promoted by the current government are anti the best interests of any sovereign nation.. | Rosemary |
| someone should sit her down by herself and ask the same questions that have been tabled here | William |
| No, thoroughly depressed. | Richard |
| They’ve lost the plot! The looney left is turning us into a Marxist country, and all this global warming BS is the way they are doing it. Even Fonterra ( which I supply) is sucking up to the government and bowing down to this total BS. | Laurie |
| They are barking mad | Michael |
| NZ is being choked to death by Labour and Greens perpetrated by a silly self centred girl who cannot see past her socialistic background. The Greens should never be in government because their realism is based in the clouds. | Robyn |
| Absolutely not. This will also send the price of meat in our supermarkets, already very high, through the roof. Making it even harder for our people to feed themselves and their children. | Brenda |
| Within a very short period of coming to power, it was obvious that Comrade Jacinda was going to wreck our economy. She isn’t going to listen to any sense, in her mind, the world needs to be saved at any cost, and she%u2019s going to show the way! | Allan |
| This country is going nowhere fast with this coalition government and I am not optimistic at all about our future unless National can get it’s act together and replace Simon, install effective leadership and free the nation of the Green party. | Anon |
| No I don’t feel optimistic about NZ’s economy and its future. Based on the draconian regulations that are to be implemented in the name of climate change we have decided to relocate ourselves overseas. | Lawrie |
| I feel NZ is on the brink of an economic disaster under the present government. | Graham |
| Pushing the minimum wage up by 25% will be the last nail in the coffin for many more of the last manufacturers in New Zealand | Carl |
| I feel that the Kindergarten Party has got the reins and the horse is almost out of control ! | James |
| Why not support the economy instead of undermining it? | Bruce |
| Labour are socialist zealots who would rather destroy this country ‘s economy than admit that capitalism creates national wealth and (ironically) well-being. Jacinda Ardern is an amateur, driven by an adolescent fantasy, and who is utterly out of her depth. The Greens are simply a bunch of Luddites who loathe science and technology, and would rather have us all living a mud-and-sticks existence than enjoy the benefits of modernity. No wonder they are so enchanted by Maori primitivism. As for New Zealand First, they are prepared to feather their own nest, regardless of the wider implications. Winston Peters has been such a disappointment. Climate change is certainly happening, but the Government is unscrupulously using it as a big stick with which to beat those who disagree with its fanaticism. Unless there’s a change of administration, the outlook for this country is just awful. | Graham |
| The Gov gives gives to the Maori’s because not sure why maybe more votes soon there will be no monely left and then what will happen Higher tax for who not the Gov. that is for sure | Cherryl |
| I don’t believe Ardern has any real interest in the viability of NZ. She is all about building a reputation that is going to allow her to strut the UN stage. | Alan |
| A frightening scenario awaits us all without a 180 degree change in polictal thinking | Danny |
| We are rapidly going down the gurgler. | Jan |
| She is killing the goose that lays golden eggs. The farmers not good enough | Sidwell |
| Too many immigrants. Too much money given away | Mike |
| I have no support at all for this coalition government’s daft agenda. It seems that many if not most New Zealanders vote for personalities rather than policies. Dumping MMP might be the best place to start; proportional representation is a worthwhile idea but MMP is the worst form of it and look what we have been delivered! | Peter |
| How could any sensible person have confidence in Arderns Government .She herself simply does not have an economic brain in her head and the rabble around her have shown themselves as just that.Her words ‘this is the year of delivery’. Fact is a year of failures.The worst PM and Government this country has ever seen | Don |
| There is nothing worse than an ignorant mouth piece. | Chris |
| They have no idea of the real world. How long before we are looking for the tooth fairy to support our economy? | Frank |
| Labour needs to be out at the next election. National needs a new leader. | Chris |
| The country is on a fast track to total diaster. They have got everything wrong | Tony |
| Just take a look at the stats this government has to go climate change sure it’s changing all the time and there is no way little NZ is ever going to make the slightest difference | Peter |
| Jacinda appears to be totally devoid of commonsense and incapable of thinking for herself or making considered decisions. Like an empty barrel – all noise and no substance. | Alan |
| Govt has no idea of the impact of its climate change policies. More radiata is just folly. The OIO relaxed rules for planting is shortsighted. | Simon |
| God help us all in N.Z….. | Donald |
| hahahahahahahahahahaha……….NO! | Derejk |
| Not at the moment! | Jan |
| Somethings she is good at, other things, not at all. | Bob |
| with our photo shot PM under any socialist govt the only way is down if she keeps the speed of her reforms there is not going to be much left by election time next year need a snap election while there is a little left in the coffers | Russell |
| The whole Coalition deal is a shambles. Yes there will always need to change, find a better way for everyone. But the Coalition Partiers are hoping that someone will come along and do it all for them, for nothing. | Frank |
| This country has no future while she keeps giving billions of dollars to Maori. | Des |
| This person has to go, and National has got to take a really good look at itself and it’s policies, they got where they are on the backs of the farmers. Simon Bridges hasn’t got a clue, two ignorant leaders messing up the economy. | Merryl |
| The Green Party is leading the Labour Party down a slippery slope. I hope that Jacinda will wake up and start to understand that we are standing on the edge of a precipice. | Alan |
| No way. This is the road to hell. A populist politician who can not make the right decisions for our country. She will never deliver tax cuts. No political party has the balls to revise the RMA or make laws that don%u2019t have a racial bias. They are all cowards. | Robert |
| As always spend more money cutting up the same pie rather than enabling business to make a bigger pie that we all henefit from | John |
| There will be a revolution when it gets too bad | John |
| Farmers and landlords being hammered,. Looks like green eyed communistic envy to me. | Richard |
| She has a dangerous socialist view of the economy and zealous ambition to save the planet at the cost of our wellbeing. | Willy |
| Just take a look at gun confiscation, she has it called a buyback scheme, just lies and bullshit. As history shows how a tyrant gets established, you lie to the govt its called a felony, govt lies to us its called politics. | Sam |
| This government has little grasp of business practices, seeming to prefer to hand out money to those who can’t or won’t provivde for themselves. | Heather |
| They have to go | Neil |
| It is so sad what is happening NZ could be a wonderful place with common sense & less restriction & Gvt interference | Michael |
| Socialistic and green idealism is crippling NZ economy and the spirit of those who DO THE BUSINESS. The present NZ Government and local government are economic wrecking balls. | Stan |
| This bunch of unelected no hopers are clueless. | Robert |
| No, everything the COL does is against growth and jobs. | Digby |
| Our virtue sinallingbPM is financially illiterate, does not do her homework and capable of doing considerable damage to the economy. | Gail |
| The crucial point of climate change is that no-one has absolute knowledge of the cause and the end result. Climate change has occurred before that has been proven by scientific investigation but there was no-one around at the time it occurred to record the event.and the results. Putting it simply our politicians are not really interested in climate change. It is crucially more important to them to make the right noises so that they retain power and their salaries. Let’s be honest with ourselves a large number of them have been in parliament far too long and a large number have never had a productive job. We are, in fact, being led by a tail that is wagging the dog not a dog in control of its tail. The minority parties are controlling the government with their fanciful ideas and the government is hell bent on staying in power regardless of the consequences of its actions. | Tony |
| Check out the Singapore model….limited socialism and tough on crime. Same population as NZ but theirs is a thriving economy with annual revenue surpluses. We could learn from their model. | Tony |
| Not one little bit. The COL are building more and more stealth taxes, when the promise was no more taxes. The comunists know no other methods to grab money and destroy buisness | Tom |
| Simply appalling and what is worse the only political opposition to the stupidity is from David Seymour. | Sue |
| She is a communist POS | Greg |
| …the last one out of here turn the lights off. Take what you can carry and head for Scotland..!! | CHowes |
| I am a law abiding citizen, First they came for my guns now they come for my cattle. Angry and frustrated. I want a democratic govt that keeps the hell out of my life. | Rick |
| Jacinda must go, Nat’s need a stronger leader, Race based politics must stopped. | Cliff |
| This government is driving our economy to destruction, not to say what it is doing by supporting issues such as euthanasia, abortion, and legalising recreational marijuana. | Jill |
| It will take time for real changes to take effect, but I think she is tackling some tough issues ( that Natiional never did ) | Kevin |
| We will always have those who have never had a real job telling us how to run our lives. | Alan |
| She has no idea how the rea world works. Spend 3 months every year at the coalface of the private sector PM, and you might learn something. | Brooke |
| She is ececonomically illiterate | Graeme |
| Dire future ahead. | Alan |
| Absolutely not – this government is a disaster. | Paul |
| All of the economic indicators are now trending down as a result of Labour’s mismanaging of the economy. If they press ahead with the carbon bill, things will get a great deal worse. | Harvey |
| This government wants to make you go and live in Australia! | Donna |
| Why don’t governments simply emulate successful nations instead of imposing policies which make everyone poorer? Where is their common sense! | Gordon |
| Interesting article from Dr Hudson. He talks a lot of sense. And no, I have zero confidence in Jacinda and her cronies. | Bruce |