Free trade with China. What are your thoughts?

[Finn]

It's not NZ money. It's gone . Why should it come back? You buy a bike for $10000 you don't expect your $10000 to "come back"

WRONG. You put it into one of your trusts, claim the GST back, depreciate the fuck out of it then sell it to your company for $17,000.

[cowpoos]

Well at least THEY might get paid by US - most times the fall short when it comes time for the Chinese to pay.

Fraud, non-payment and poor quality control are the norm for Chinese business - acceptable practice.

we'll....the dairy industry are still waiting for some payments from russia....

[cowpoos]

EDIT: And it's only cheaper if you don't figure in the cost of supporting the Kiwis and their families thrown out of work. Or, you are prepared to follow the Chinese capitalist ethic and let them starve. Literally.

well acctually....if things are gunna be cheaper in NZ from imports....and our exporters are recieving more $$$ from our exports.....there will be more jobs.....better pay....and cheaper expendible goods to buy....one would think living standards would increase....wouldn't it?

[Streetwise]

No, Living standards in this country have been on the decrease for a long time now, The only thing that has changes is that imports outway exports.

[cowpoos]

And a really bad time to be an importer.

Anybody got an idea how much of our product 'on the shelves' in NZ is imported? (Motorbikes, leathers, dvd players etc etc)

s'funny....95% of NZ consumers are relitively stupid....

dollar drops everyone expects things to go up....when its not really the case at all....90% of importers hedge currency....to protect margins and profit and stay compeditive...now it seems the dollar is dropping I've seen petorl prices go up imediatlly...when there was no need...it will be a fair while before the dollar should be effecting the price of imported oils and petrols...its the compannies profit taking...they would have hedged for years if they are smart...same with motorbikes,dvd players, all that shit too...

the other day the price of 91 octane went up 6c in the morning.....and down 6c in the afternoon....funny that....some one obivously made a call from the commerce commision....or the media asking why?

[cowpoos]

Of course back then Mother England ( ) took every pound of meat our farmers could produce

and wool,butter and cheese....

and yer....was just about all the money NZ made....we also borrowed alot from overseas...

[Streetwise]

owell its all going to go up, Telecom going to do the runner, Fletcher building doing the runner, companies delisting on the exchange, free trade with china, what next......

[cowpoos]

No, Living standards in this country have been on the decrease for a long time now, The only thing that has changes is that imports outway exports.

not acctually....they are definatly on the increase....it relects quite simply in how many houses ae being built....how may cars are being sold....motorbikes,etc... more...far more than in past years per person avg..

[Streetwise]

owell its all going to go up, Telecom going to do the runner, Fletcher building doing the runner, companies delisting on the exchange, free trade with china, what next......

no no no we have slipped down the leadger compaired to where we were 15 years or so ogo,

[scumdog]

s'funny....95% of NZ consumers are relitively stupid....

dollar drops everyone expects things to go up....when its not really the case at all....90% of importers hedge currency....to protect margins and profit and stay compeditive...now it seems the dollar is dropping I've seen petorl prices go up imediatlly...when there was no need...it will be a fair while before the dollar should be effecting the price of imported oils and petrols...its the compannies profit taking...they would have hedged for years if they are smart...same with motorbikes,dvd players, all that shit too...

the other day the price of 91 octane went up 6c in the morning.....and down 6c in the afternoon....funny that....some one obivously made a call from the commerce commision....or the media asking why?

s'funny, every time the dollars has dropped in my life the products on the shelf go up in price p.d.q. - "It's not our fault, it's the falling dollar ya know" - even if the product looks like it's been there a while at times.

When the dollar gets stronger the prices seem to take forever to drop.

[Lou Girardin]

I think most Japanese sourced goods are paid for in US dollars.

[MisterD]

When the dollar gets stronger the prices seem to take forever to drop.

Not always, look at what happened with the prices of stuff like plasma TVs over the last few years...

[eliot-ness]

In a nutshell.
Early 1960s. The British textile industry was the largest in the world. Mid 60s. Import tarriffs removed. Result. British textile industry has now virtually disappeared.
Late 70s, NZ textile industry one of the biggest empoyers. Early 80s, import restrictions eased. Result. Of the big companies only Feltex is still around and they are struggling.
The same result applies to all manufacturing.
NZrs will always be at the forefront in inventiveness but who in the future will reap the benefits. Certainly not NZ companies.

[Streetwise]

Not always, look at what happened with the prices of stuff like plasma TVs over the last few years...

Technology becomes cheaper thats just standard, Look at the old price for Video players, $3500.00,, bugger that

[scumdog]

Not always, look at what happened with the prices of stuff like plasma TVs over the last few years...

That's more to do with the fact they've become less exclusive and more 'run-of-the-mill' - all new gimmicks cost aheap until there is a lot of them around.

Look at a vcr, back in 1980 a top-loader vcr was $1,600, had two heads and was the size of the top of the tv.