August - September 2020
Success D has many fathers; failure is an orphan* Our campaign to restrain and hopefully eradicate Covid-19 now clashes with the leadup to the September election
iminishing concern about the threat from this globally devastating virus is encouraging increasingly urgent calls for a national plan to deal with the post virus economic and social recovery. Regrettably, the approaching September election is trumping the need for a bipartisan strategy to enable New Zealand to survive and prosper throughout the difficult years ahead. The implications of 200,000 job losses with more predicted from the decimation of key income streams such as tourism ($16 billion plus another $11 billion indirectly) and overseas students ($5 billion) has yet to fully register. This is due in part to subsidies and preoccupation with the financial ‘Cargo Cult**’ now being scattered throughout the land. Mainstream media has yet to examine the quality of massive government expenditure arising from the Covid Recovery Fund (CRF) and the Provincial Growth Fund (PRF). Simply reporting the latest beneficiaries of government largess while actively promoting personality politics obscures the lack of progress in transitioning from a badly damaged economy and historic levels of unemployment to a meaningful economic reconstruction strategy featuring job creation on a scale new to New Zealand. Facing up to reality The situation for many businesses large and small continues to deteriorate, exacerbated by the rising cost of doing business. While the wages
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subsidy scheme has been instrumental in maintaining many jobs, it ends in September with the expectation many more faltering companies will not survive. Our closed border and harsh immigration restrictions prevent employers from recovering by using the experienced casual/seasonal workers on whom they traditionally rely. Thousands of skilled nonresidents who returned to their homeland prior to the implementation of Level 4, have yet to return -- even if they intend to. Major infrastructure projects and environmental improvement schemes touted as ‘shovel ready’ and most likely to employ workers displaced from the tourism, hospitality, travel and education sectors are anything but that. Many unemployed will not be qualified or even suited to these jobs. Reportedly, locals remain reluctant to fill the gaps. As national Covid 19 expenditure passes $35 billion and the global economic outlook continues to deteriorate, New Zealanders await a comprehensive national plan for when the money stops flowing. Science is the new future normal Ironically, the present planning hiatus underscores the value of an apolitical National Emergency Committee of experts able to effectively manage the crisis. New Zealand’s Covid closedown provided the opportunity for innovative entrepreneurs now able to gain funding from investors looking to science-based rather than traditional investments.
