industry policy

On A Natural High?
The economy is on a high - best for 17 years in fact. Last time it didn't last, this time it looks better....
12 August 2004 - Gareth Morgan

Let Auckland Choke
Using taxpayer dollars to solve the city's traffic congestion is by no means a clever move....
22 April 2004 - Gareth Morgan

Qantas deal - just deserts for a mug public
The balloon's up - the government can't possibly fund Air New Zealand. It's suggesting it would rather lose competition in our skies than have to keep paying the bills....
27 November 2002 - Gareth Morgan

Trade Wars Shout at NZ to get Rational
Global trade wars are escalating and at an alarming rate. China has just announced that it is looking to raise farm subsidies and slap tariffs on US imports in retaliation for US steel tariffs. In this world of beggar-thy-neighbour trade protectionism, New Zealand and other commodity producers stand to get beaten up badly. The...
22 May 2002 - Gareth Morgan

Commodity Producers Easy Meat
The US and Europe are into a tit-for-tat protectionist war. Our government has foolishly sponsored a strategy of greater reliance on commodities. Commodity producers will be crushed in the escalating melee. The decision by the US to revert to trade protectionism and lift its subsidies on agriculture mirrors a behaviour ...
16 May 2002 - Gareth Morgan

A culture of dependency
Nobody can accuse this government of neglecting our creative side. The pathetic spectre of double Oscar winner Richard Taylor, a person at the pinnacle of his craft internationally, begging for more tax breaks so his industry can offer bribes to film studios. The adoption by commercial...
3 April 2002 - Gareth Morgan

Alone in a Big Boy's World
At this year's Big Boys Toys show at Auckland it would be suitable to have Air New Zealand as one of the offerings. After all, given the decimated state of the world's airline industry small regional carriers are now available at prices well within the budget of some of the more well-heeled of the world's individuals. But...
26 March 2002 - Gareth Morgan

Send in the Clowns - NAC arises from the ashes
Why were airlines worldwide in major trouble before September 11? Because they're not profitable - there's too much capacity and airfares are too low to provide a return. Why isn't the industry profitable? Because it's undermined constantly by numerous airlines who do not have a profit motive - those airlines being the "national...
3 October 2001 - Gareth Morgan

Having a trucking good time
Personally I can't stand trucks on the highways -whether crowding out your rear, making sure all you can see is their bumper, or blocking your vision in front making it impossible to pass. No matter how professional the driver, their mere presence is a drag. Unless of course you happen to be driving one and then it can be loads of fun. In the...
22 August 2001 - Gareth Morgan

Serial Value Killers
Over-rated, overpaid and disastrously under-performing. Such a tag is an unavoidable description of too many of the senior executives and their Boards in big company New Zealand. One of the conundrums of the 1990's New Zealand economy has been the amount of economic value that the business sector has destroyed. There have been various studies...
7 March 2001 - Gareth Morgan

Praise the exporters, pass around the collection plate
It's oft-heard that New Zealand is a small, export-intensive economy and as such State intervention and control of the macroeconomy is necessary here. The argument runs that we need to ensure our exporters are, as much as possible, sheltered from the volatility of world markets. From this favouritism we will, it goes, all ultimately prosper....
9 January 2001 - Gareth Morgan

Yes, we have more bananas
About half of the sell-off in the New Zealand dollar has been investor recognition that producing commodities doesn’t produce competitive returns. So what are we going to do? Produce more commodities stupid. Yes folks, you’ve seen it all before, if we can’t produce enough income to keep ourselves in the fashion...
4 October 2000 - Gareth Morgan

Begger thy neighbour or bugger thyself?
Some of the more superficial newspaper business columnists in New Zealand have of late, precipitated an avalanche of protectionist rhetoric. It needs detonating before such simplistic remedy engulfs more gullible political aspirants seeking ways to "help" the New Zealand economy. The news that the World Trade Organisation has...
12 May 1999 - Gareth Morgan