If National wins ...

[BlackPeter]

Since JK has been in office, NZ productivity has increased from about 158 to 164. So a slight lift no doubt boosted by the bounce back from the GFC. However there has been a drop in productivity since the beginning of 2016.
https://tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/productivity

As Kiwis-in-OZ fortunes have been adversely affected by both Australian policy towards them and the resource sector downturn, more Kiwis have yo-yo'ed back to NZ. That plus high immigration numbers have helped boost bottom line gdp numbers at the expense of straining infrastructure and increasingly inability to be able to provide affordable housing.

So? I never talked about the NZ productivity ... and to be honest, this is something politicians hardly can influence without annoying their voters. I said that the National led government did obviously in NZ a better job than whatever government was running the last 9 years running Australia, the UK or any other country material for returning Kiwis to their homeland.

Compare e.g. EZ's hobby horse - the public debt load. NZ did very well (34% of GDP) compared to the UK (92.2%) or Australia (46%).

[BlackPeter]

You just need to read more carefully - Andrew said the work visas would be the bulk of the change, which could mean 51%, or even a bigger part of the total than anything else.

Still - a massive cut in the number of work visas, hardly any left. Just help us to understand which parts for the economy Andrew plans to kill off? IT? Technology? Construction? Tourism & hospitality? Agriculture? Must be all of the above .... NZ would need to prepare for massive economic cuts if they go for Labour.

I note that net NZers leaving NZ reached some kind of a peak in 2012 (while National were in office). It's just getting a lot messier overseas, is a big part of the reason they are now staying. But look at the non-NZ citizen figures, a very unusual situation in being that high. Over the Clark years, NZers soon started returning, later moderate numbers of NZers left, a growing trend, but then the same thing happened under National in the term before that. The outgoing number was higher in 2012, under National. Maybe it's National policies that some don't like..

It takes typically 1 to 2 years from deciding to leave your country to actually going. I went through this process myself. Picking the right target country, finding a job, finding a house, deciding about children's education and similar does take time.

This means the 2011/12 peak are people who decided during Clark's reign to go. Your data prove my case.

[Joshuatree]

So what apples with mangos or what.And whats this"to be honest '"spin , sounds like Crosby /Textor chapter 395.

[fungus pudding]

If I post a link to someone else's open letter on this subject, it would be moderated.

Be bold eZ. Take a chance. If in the highly unlikely event it gets moderated well - too bad, no harm done.
Otherwise some of us might thing your all pith and wind.

[macduffy]

Just curious - but why should an "open letter" be liable to be moderated?

[elZorro]

Just curious - but why should an "open letter" be liable to be moderated?

The open letter to Paula Bennett is easy enough to find with google. I've noticed other sites like this being very careful not to post direct links to it. So I've done the same.

The press have certainly been gagged already, although some of their initial articles have been cached on the web. Regardless, it's not a good look for the deputy leader of the National Party, that she needs to threaten to sue over what just may be the gospel truth.

Dare I say it, that over on the Labour side, we always try to appoint erudite, hardworking people as our representatives.

[fungus pudding]

The open letter to Paula Bennett is easy enough to find with google. I've noticed other sites like this being very careful not to post direct links to it. So I've done the same.

The press have certainly been gagged already, although some of their initial articles have been cached on the web. Regardless, it's not a good look for the deputy leader of the National Party, that she needs to threaten to sue over what just may be the gospel truth.

That last sentence does you no favours eZ.

[BlackPeter]

Dare I say it, that over on the Labour side, we always try to appoint erudite, hardworking people as our representatives.

Maybe, but this is not the question, is it? It appears you are trying to insinuate that Paula Bennett did at some stage something wrong which you are not allowed to reveal. You are basically creating baseless malicious rumours. Not a good look for a Labour supporter who tries to imply that his party is in any way superior.

And while you are not able to come up with any credible claim or evidence for whatever Paula might have done - there are plenty of Labour politicians who stood at some stage on the wrong side of the law:

David Butcher (MP for Labour) - convicted for fraudulently claiming air fares he was not entitled to;

Taito Philip Field (MP for Labour) - jailed for bribery and corruption;

John Kirk (Labour MP) - convicted under the insolvency act in NZ and doing time in the US;

Ruth Dyson (Labour MP) - convicted for drink driving;

Trevor Mellard (Labour) - convicted for fighting in a public place;

Now - obviously - this list is not complete ... and Labour is not the only party who's MP's tend to be from time to time on the wrong side of the law.

However - it looks more like Labour has problems picking politicians with a clean slate ... and you lot are throwing the first stone?

[artemis]

The guy that wrote the open letter comes across as seriously weird. Couple of folk I know looked a bit more deeply and found a conspiracy theorist and a guy with a very chequered past. Mental health issues would be my guess.

[fungus pudding]

The guy that wrote the open letter comes across as seriously weird. Couple of folk I know looked a bit more deeply and found a conspiracy theorist and a guy with a very chequered past. Mental health issues would be my guess.

I'm intrigued. How did you find it?