‘Illiteracy’ halting N.Z. progress

Press, 23 April 1984, Page 5

‘Illiteracy’ halting N.Z. progress

New Zealanders were illiterate in computer technology language, which was the language of the 1980 s, said the Labour Party spokesman for trade, Mr M. K. Moore, on his return from a month’s study tour of the United States and Britain.

In Britain all schools had computers, said Mr Moore. The language of computers was considered as essential to the 1980 s as reading and writing in the 19705. “Not being able to use that language makes us illiterate,” he said.

Technology was needed in industry to make it effective, productive, and a source of new jobs, said Mr Moore.

He said he had been amazed to find that New Zealand had more military officials than trade staff in Washington and London. That was a hangover from the days of Imperialism and the Cold War, he said. The emphasis should be on trade.

New Zealand needed to look at diversifying into non-traditional exports as

well as the traditional meat and wool products. In Europe there was still room for new products from New Zealand such as wine, cut flowers, and furniture, he said. “We need to be more responsive to the market places of Europe and the United States,” said Mr Moore. Products for fast food outlets, supermarkets, and big hotel chains should be exported. “We have to get into high quality foods and cuts the chefs want,” he said.

Red meat had a bad name on the American market, said Mr Moore. It was considered less healthy than the white meat of chicken and fish. With other redmeat producers New Zealand should promote red meat as a healthy food and preferable to battery-bred chickens and fish from polluted water. Mr Moore said he was full of optimism for New Zealand’s trade future. There were so many gaps that could now be filled.

Mr Moore also looked at tourism and the promotion of New Zealand overseas. Not enough money was being used for the promotion of tourism he said. Americans were interested in healthy living and New Zealand was ideal to promote as a healthy and clean environment.

“The trojan horse for trade and tourism promotion is our sports people,” said Mr Moore. The spin-off from promoting sports people would be noticed in both areas. In Britain, Mr Moore looked at the structure of Government departments. Under the Conservative Government, Viscount Whitelaw, the leader of the House of Lords, was responsible for ensuring that Government policy was understood by all involved. In New Zealand, the Labour Party could learn from this, by ensuring that it understood the limits of its power if in Government and working out how it could make the changes it wanted within those, he said.