Yearbook 2022
Beware The Ides of March By the end of the first quarter the impact of inflationary pressures will become more apparent in the community. Some issues we can control, others are beyond us.
MANAGEMENT
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New Year is a popular opportunity to speculate on future developments. Of course, the more successful Seers are retired, having foreseen winning Lotto numbers Reviews of the prospects for business operators reflecting the Coviddominated operational and social environment will continue to affect our lives for some time to come. The scientists who have risen heroically to the challenge and given us effective vaccines in an extraordinarily short two years, have yet to be recognised. Their expertise remains our major defence against a continually evolving pandemic, which has so dramatically altered our comfortable way of life. Stressed Supply Lines External issues affecting NZ Inc focus on our
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position at the end of long and increasingly stressed supply lines - a frustrating combination of shortages of key commodities and a resurgent economy in our major trading partners, caught logistics planners by surprise. Fewer ships, truncated services to bypass congested ports and shortages of containers all contribute to growing shortages of key products required by both business and consumers. While spurring innovation, rapidly escalating costs have fractured the ‘just in time’ concept many firms used to rely on. Responsible Care NZ members were able to quickly switch to producing the sanitisers and cleaning products desperately needed to help constrain the spread of Covid in the community, only to face new challenges like the growing shortage of skilled staff currently hampering national
infrastructure development, such as much needed housing, roading and construction. Unnecessary Worker Shortages Controversial, constantly changing and increasingly illogical immigration policies are denying New Zealand the qualified workers needed to improve productivity at a time our principal income sources are under threat. The loss of our lucrative international tourists together with Australian competition for the mutually beneficial foreign student’s market and desperately needed skilled healthcare, teachers and engineers continues to threaten our economic and social wellbeing. Efforts to capitalise on increasing demand for our food exports remain hampered by the beleaguered logistics
system battling with refrigerated container shortages, reduced flights and worsening labour shortages. Covid vs Governance Meanwhile, our preoccupation with Covid camouflages important governance issues, particularly the continuing failure to adequately consult with key stakeholders, while largely ignoring advice from officials. Controversial legislation passes quickly through the Select Committees denied the opportunity to rigorously scrutinize poorly drafted regulations, resulting in unintended consequences. Critical issues ranging from how to achieve a successful transition from coal and fossil fuels to as yet inadequate renewable energy replacements, to the introduction of controversial, outmoded compulsory wage setting (FPAs) have not been comprehensively debated. Meanwhile, the Public Service continues to expand as massive departmental reorganisations seek to centralise decision-making and resources, resulting in expensive job creation and costly complexity, without a sound business case. The Perilous Path NZ Inc treads an increasingly perilous path in world affairs as our major trading partners align themselves with allies concerned with territorial ambition to divert attention from domestic problems, and less interested in preserving free trade. Domestically, our escalating national indebtedness continues to be fueled by housing costs, increasingly expensive
