Important issues for N.Z.

Press, 29 August 1977, Page 15

Important issues for N.Z.

By

KEN COATES

Before we get all defen-! sive and dismiss South Pacific Television’s “Perspective” piece as presenting only the side of those who want to leave New Zealand, and comment, “We are better off without them,” it is! worth reflecting that the programme reflected part of' ourselves. Its basis was a look at Barry Larkin, aged 30, a tool and die-maker, whose skills are in demand in New Zealand, but who plans to emigrate to Canda, permanently. The Friday evening programme traversed his reasons for leaving, his present t situation, and his prospects in Canada — at least as he sees them. Possibly the most significant factor he mentioned was the difficulty encountered about getting a house in which to live, a| reasonable expectation in

New Zealand with only three million population and all the resources and expertise necessary to provide homes. But as the young man went on to say — it was the money that was the problem. He and his wife had once had a house partly completed, but could not, afford to finance the completion of the project. And so the story unfolded — gold at the end of the rainbow. More dollars an hour for his skills in Canada and costs about the same, in some areas lower, than in New Zealand. The couple had apparently been on a visit to Canada and said they had checked prices in various areas — housing, clothing, food, household appliances, and so on. There was the pull of materialism, of course — youing people speculating on powerful and relatively cheap cars, as well as cheaper petrol. Interestingly, the seemingly higher status accorded a skilled tradesman in North! America, combined with the! prospects for advance-1 ment, emerged as important factors. Food for thought was pro-l vided by the observation that opportunities for a key managerial or supervisory post were good because of the high standard of trade training given in New Zealand. But the most thought-! provoking part of the programme was the references to New Zealanders’ sense of national pride, or lack of it. Barry Larkin talked of attitudes towards New Zealand he had already experienced overseas which hardly reflected credit on New Zealand, and maintained that hej had thought twice about admitting he was a New Zealander. The industrialist saw himself as isolated from the country’s export drive in that he was frustrated bv a shortage of skilled staff to run his machines.

The economist, another man who came to New Zealand years ago as an immigrant himself, spoke of the absence of a sense of belonging to a nation among New Zealanders, and lack of a national purpose. Wolfgang Rosenberg’s views are not orthodox, but they were refreshing in that they offered a seldom-heard explanation as to why people like Barry Larkin feel alienated from the country in which they were born. Perhaps, as he said, we don’t feel that New Zealand is permanent, here for good, and that we all could have a role in shaping it for the future. His idea of selfreliance stemming from the people was very much to the point. “Perspective” has adopted very successfully the lowprofile style of interviewing in which the reporter is not seen on camera. In this programme, Marcia Russell successfully performed the role of reporter and commentator, the result being a cohesive and well-rounded piece. There were gaps, of course, such as the role of Barry Larkin’s wife, presumably Canadian, in the couple’s decision to settle in Canada. It was fine to have the Minister of Immigration (Mr Gill) on the programme, but apart from saying that manufacturers should request immigrants with needed skills, his comments appeared to be rather general. It was almost as if the Minister and the interviewer had carried on a conversation about people coming and going, without any knowledge of the main content of the programme which raised deeper issues than just numbers and skills. On this occasion, “Perspective” took a definite line in pointing up questions important to all New Zealanders. and was fully justified in doing so.