We have a rock star economy addicted to meth
The acolytes of the neoliberal temple are crowing about our supposed rock star economy again…
Growth stats out: NZ economy expands at 3.6pc
New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.6 per cent in the June year – in the middle of market expectations of a 3.5 to 3.7 per cent gain – and one of the strongest growth rates in the developed world.
…blah, blah, blah.
Like everything else this corrupt Government have to say, scratch the surface beneath their bullshit lies and spin doctored stats, and the truth about our ‘rock star’ economy is that it is addicted to meth.
Strip out the student/worker visa scam immigration and rebuilding from a natural disaster and our actual growth rate is a mere .6%.
Our ‘Rock Star’ is addicted to lazy immigration and a property bubble. The reason it’s growing so frighteningly is because we have Government that doesn’t give a fuck about the social implications of the housing crisis and are only interested in serving the property owning class who always vote and ensure their capital gains remain untaxed.
The ease with which we are manipulated into believing NZ is succeeding economically is truly astounding.
The government defends its addiction to growth for growth sake, largely based in immigration and construction, also tourism and exporting questionable education services to overseas students.
But the same government hammers beneficiaries for being “addicted” to lives on benefits:
http://www.gpcme.co.nz/pdf/GP%20CME/Friday/C1%201515%20Bratt-Hawker.pdf
(see pages 13. 20. 21 and 35)
One rule and law for the powerful and wealthy, another for the down and out people at the very bottom.
Same justice they apply to the poor when it comes to housing, those at the bottom paying over half their incomes on housing costs, mostly rent.
New Zealanders better wake up, as the price we will all have to pay for this madness is going to be a very high one.
@ MIKE IN AUCKLAND – you state …
“The government defends its addiction to growth for growth sake, largely based in immigration and construction, also tourism and exporting questionable education services to overseas students.”
Correct.
Another point is this. We cannot ignore the fact the biggest growth industry of the lot here in NZ is that of impoverishment, resulting in homelessness for far too many ordinary Kiwi families, some of whom are working! A situation I have no doubt is lining the pockets of the unscrupulous!
Yes, you are right, “business” people running this outfit, I suppose:
http://www.westernparkvillage.com/
On Checkpoint:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201815831/beneficiaries-pay-hundreds-to-live-in-caravans
Other motels and so forth earning good on WINZ paying for homeless:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201803900/winz-emergency-housing-continues
Here just another new story:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201816517/20-people-including-two-newborns-in-one-home
The propagandist SS Joyce is working late every night at his MBIE bunker just crunching phoney numbers using his favourite method of “Cherry picking” white wash reports as they do with every report that this Government uses every day Martyn.
We do not believe anything that comes out of the MBIE now as it all is simply hype designed to hide the real gulf in our sagging economy slowly being hollowed out by this Government.
You state it correctly, “The ease with which we are manipulated into believing NZ is succeeding economically is truly astounding.”
The fact that the ACT MP, on a middle income salary, cannot afford to buy a house in his own electorate shows just how ‘rock-star’ the economy is.
Party Vote for ACT at the next election to make sure that this rock-star economy is distributed to all New Zealanders with its 20% business, 20% GST and 20% personal tax system.
For a fairer share of the rock-star economic pie.
You forgot to tell readers of your comment that the result of ACT Party tax and income policy will mean even more of the pie goes to the rich and high earners, and only crumbs from that pie will go to the working middle class, while almost none goes to the poor, that is apart from reduced benefits driving them into ever worse poverty.
“Fair” according to you and ACT means unfair, so we know where you stand and come from.
With 20 percent GST you will really hit those poor that spend all their money, as they will pay more for basic essential goods like food and clothing.
That sounds dangerously like market intervention
David, I’m not sure if your post is intended to be satirical, but regardless, we’ve had a neo-liberal economy since 1984 and you’re wanting more of the same? In what way will more neo-liberalism provide us with affordable homes, especially when half of all properties are being snapped up by speculators??
There’s an old definition of crazy; doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Crazy.
To get a real look at how New Zealand performs among other OECD countries, this table shows us what goes on, or has until 2015 at least:
https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=PDB_LV
Here somewhat older figures:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_OECD_countries_by_GDP_per_capita
If you compare the data for New Zealand with other OECD countries, our performance is rather mediocre, somewhat similar to Israel, South Korea, Slovenia, the Slovak Republic and just above that of Turkey, and far behind Norway, the Scandinavian countries, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the UK and other more productive countries.
Again the government just misrepresents the truth by using the total GDP figure, not the low per capita figure, and it does spin the figures out of context.
Just looking at growth, total growth, is not that relevant, we had high growth for a year or two only in 2003 to 2004, again largely due to immigration and housing expansion, and after that it all came down again.
But as so many people do not take a close look, they fall for the spin and lies we get, the MSM does assist the government in pulling the wool over people’s heads.
When you go tramping in the bush with a large party , you go at the speed of the slowest. That’s just common sense safety.
Unlike paid and bought for economists , bankers , ceo’s and other vested interested groups who ignore our current massive social breakdown solely for the motive of continuing to inspire offshore speculation.
I sure as hell wouldn’t go for a tramp with these psychopaths in the lead.
They’d get us all killed.
Every politician, every city councilor, every district councilor, every regional councilor, every CEO, every senior bureaucrat, every economist and every journalist in the country should be required to watch the following as many times as is necessary to acquire understanding, and be tested once a year to demonstrate retention of knowledge and understanding.
Failure to demonstrate understanding should lead to termination of position/employment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI1C9DyIi_8
“The greatest shortcoming of the human race our inability to understand the exponential function.”
If you take out any one of
-Meth money
-Feces in drinking water
-terrorist money/laundered money
-bank fraud
If you take one out then any one worshiping any economic metric absolutely loses there shit which just shows how fragile and dependant the New Zealand economy is on dirty money.
100% Sam we look like ‘shit’ to anyone overseas looking at where we are heading.
We’re all living in jonkey’s movie, apparently.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3788735/There-50-chance-living-Matrix-world-simply-SIMULATION-says-Bank-America.html
I say let’s rewrite the script.