I agree , it ignores the social contract of being a contributor to society.
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I agree - there are plenty of other ways to recoup infrastructure and National Park maintenance costs - other than a slap on tourists.
Who's being hostile?Quote:
Our so called hospitality (or was it hostility?) industry might care if the visitors stop.
Of course lots of people care.Quote:
And yes, its not just the levvy. It is hostility in the media when a tourist makeing a driving mistake is beaten up without end while nobody cares if drunken Kiwi teens are killing themselves and others on our roads.
A visitor to your home causing damage is always more memorable than if it is done by a member of your own family.
We shouldn't expect anyone who has just completed a long haul flight to drive as well as normal, let alone when they are not used to NZ driving conditions, rules or roads. This certainly need to be looked into.
Quote:
It is the animosity against foreign house buyers. Of course do people feel less welcome (including the people who are lawfully here, but might just have a different accent or a non-kaukasian look). People feel less welcome. It is the hostility against immigrants - and against their families - they are not even allowed anymore to bring e.g. their old parents to NZ. All less reasons to visit NZ, and the current populist and racist government is doing nothing to improve but much to deteriorate the situation.
Immigration is a bit of a diferent topic. Previous governments should have had policies that ensured the supply of affordable housing (and infrastructure) in areas where immigrants wanted to settle. Otherwise populists could find fertile ground from possible local resentment. Immigration policy needs to dovetail with housing and economic policies. What level of immigration can be harmoniously supported by our society?
This apparently one of the more robust business confidence surveys ...big end of town and not those testy SMEs
NZ FIRMS MOST PESSIMISTIC IN NINE YEARS, BLAME GOVT POLICY, LABOUR COSTS
http://www.sharechat.co.nz/article/1...bour-costshtml
Some of that will be due to the increases in Minimum Wage / Living wage which simply shifts the Working For Families burden onto the Employer.
Then tighten up hiring options by removing 90 day trial period provisions and tightening of work visas, with no policy on getting the unemployed off the couch.
Add to that fuel costs at record high levels - that will only increase costs across the board - including commuting costs which will put even further pressure on wages.
Hopefully Jacinda has the ear of her comrades in China - they may be needed to help shift production from NZ to China.
Here is another link and discussion about the NZIER survey. https://www.interest.co.nz/business/...ess-confidence
This must be quite worrying for the trio that form this Coalition and obviously the "manufacturing crisis" enquiry they held a few years ago didn´t teach them much about that indistry and probably was just a media beatup like so many other things that comes from them !
Particularly this bit :
" Manufacturers now most pessimistic
Although the downbeat mood was broad-based across sectors, manufacturers have overtaken retailers as the most pessimistic sector. Weaker demand and rising costs have seen manufacturing sector confidence fall sharply.
Rising cost pressures also weighed on building sector confidence, with over half of firms in the sector reporting higher costs. Building sector firms reported some softening in demand in the September quarter, but architects’ measure of work in their office points to a pick-up in the pipeline of residential and commercial construction over the coming year."
People are waay overdue for wage rises, and its now finally starting to happen across the job sector.
And heres a multi pronged approach to increase worker shortage.
Govt ups ante on construction worker shortage
Great to see rare collaboration here, may there be more.
National backs child poverty bill
Research and Development down to $50,000 min for tax breaks.
Gordon Campbell: On Bringing Business Into The 21st Century
"In itself, this move is probably not going to be enough to bring our business culture into the 21st century. It's going to be a long haul. For decades, NZ firms have allowed themselves to become dependent on the synthetic drug of low wage costs – in the knowledge that the income of the working poor will be supplemented by the welfare system, via the likes of Working For Families. The rest of the developed world meanwhile, has moved on."
Well done from the Government to come up with a high powered "construction sector action plan" to target skills and labour shortages in the industry. It is much needed in a sector that has completely failed to manage itself well as can be seen by Fletcher Building and Ebert Construction failures, along with many others.
Also good to see several fairly junior ministers involved as I'm sure they will want to make a difference. A good start and a good idea. Now some results please.
Sorry, thought this was just the main politics thread. Never mind
This interesting article about PRC influence in this part of the world
Our current government (and previous ones) seem very influenced and supportive
https://www.npr.org/2018/10/02/62724...nese-influence
Great article and a concern i often think about. Many Chinese immigrant residents here are very patriotic to China ahead of NZ. They have been indoctrinated continuously since birth to always support the Chinese govt for the GREATER good and dont even think about it(esp their leaders growing power over all), its programmed. And with many years of growth and boom times for China who would argue with that.Except they live here now.
They use WeChat here (and there)for connecting with each other gathering info and doing payments separately to anything the rest of us use. Cash is used for many purchases and payments. They cant use facebook, google etc in China,its blocked is my understanding.
They can download many programmes/ movie/music/DVD to watch for free that most of us have to pay/subscribe for.
I have heard the Chinese govt pays for flights or accomodation back home where they share stuff about nz, i know not what, maybe build networks, connections ,alliances , cultivating bank managers etc? These can be"cultural" trips back home to update traditional dance etc, teach english whilst back there etc. I have no problems with diversifying NZ,s multicultural population ,its a recent new norm and healthy, sometimes i just am a little concerned about how much is contributed to our country and how much may be stealthily taken away. Just my opinion and observations.