Future prospects for New Zealand excellent in spite of shortterm problems

Press, 17 July 1979, Page 21

Future prospects for New Zealand excellent in spite of shortterm problems

By

ADRIAN BROKKING

By any assessment, and without minimising the shortterm problems that beset our economy, the long-term prospects for New Zealand must be regarded as bright.

Tn 10 years time, say by 1990. a number of investments should be coming to fruition which will dramatically alter our present economic imbalance, and put us well on the road to renewed prosperity.

By then we will be bringing in new and additional forestry resources, our fishing industry will be well developed and making a large contribution to exports, we will have new horticultural resources, we will be exporting coal from our abundance, and the energy problem will be solved. We are lucky that we have an energy surplus. There is a liquid fuels crisis, of course, but this will be resolved within the next decade, and by then our main problem will be how and in what form we should export our cheap and abundant energy. We may well be producing petrol from coal as well as developing industries based on our extensive and easily-ex-ploited coal resources — the extensions to the steel works at Glenbrook are a case in point — and will almost certainly be exporting considerable quantities of certain types of coal.

The fishing industry has been in the doldrums lately, mainly because of marketing problems, but the industry is learning rapidly, and is not wasting any time in putting itself on a more solid footing, as the articles on the next two pages demonstrate.

Ferons and C.F.C.A. also show that if you take the bull by the horns, and go out there and sell, it is

amazing what you may achieve. They are now making significant sales to Europe and the United States of America, even what are called “less-pre-ferred” species. Our exports of manufacturers are going ahead by leaps and bounds, and it is especially pleasing to see so many small firms making a significant contribution with some ingenious products. It proves that with the right incentives the Kiwi can hold his own in a competitive situation and foot it with the best of them. The Kiwi may have lost its wings, but it is certainly learning to fly again.

What is needed is an economic climate where New Zealanders can take pride in achievement, where people stop looking for the Government at every turn but become self-reliant and happy to get on with it.

An economic climate where not everybody tries to improve himself at the expense of his neighbour, not every sector or section of the community is at loggerheads with every other section, but where Labour, Management, and Government work harmoniously towards greater productivity. As a country, we shall have to make some substantial investments in the near future. But we should be able to cope with that, the money can be found. The changes in attitudes needed will not come as easily, but there are encouraging signs that many New Zealanders are ready to accept the challenge.