The current state of the NZ economy

[Delerium]

Nz does have a knowledge economy. People get university degrees, get annoyed at the low wage economy and leave overseas. Just like whats happening to me.

[cowpoos]

watching....

[Hitcher]

A knowledge economy isn't (or rather shouldn't be) about promulgating a qualifications framework. That adds no value to anything, including those with the "qualifications". It is extremely dangerous to assume any connection between qualifications and knowledge.

I think that a knowledge economy is about (or rather should be) about encouraging boffins to take risks and be creative and then look to extract commercial advantage from the new shit they invent. It's also about refining and enhancing current tools and systems so that they're better than anybody else's.

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.

[jrandom]

A 'knowledge economy' is based on the generation of intellectual property rather than products or services. You can't have a whole world being a knowledge economy - someone's got to grow the corn and dig out the coal. But NZ's small enough that it has the potential to exist at the tip of that pyramid.

IP carries the potential of generating exponential amounts of value, whereas revenue from milk powder, wood chips and billable lawyer hours can only grow linearly based on how many cows, pine trees or lawyers you can farm.

F'r'instance, me, I'm sitting here in my brand new ultra-tiny office trying desperately to get a software product together which, if it flies, could generate seven figures of revenue within its first year from my efforts alone, simply from its sheer potential usefulness to a particular industry.

The wet dream of an economy of four million people doing that and (mostly) succeeding at it is what keeps the pollies lying awake at night jacking off.

Unfortunately, for it to really work, you need a population where most people aren't significantly stupider than I am.

In other words, we're fucked...

[ManDownUnder]

why is the ag sector stupid finn?

It's not - it's just unfortunate the products of the Ag sector can be reproduced in other similar climates that are a lot closer to the ultimate consumer. Take the transport costs out of the equation and we compete wit the best of 'em.

Problem is - those transport costs are here to stay. unless NZ lifts anchor and heads towards the North Sea, or Med, or ...

Rant warning

We need to invest more in the Technology revolution (is that what Uncle Helly called it?). What a fucken joke. Put up some posters, have some jugglers talking about IT peddling up and down queen St for a week and it all done... NOT!

INVEST in R&D. For fucks sake it's so obvious. Tax breaks for the things we want to promote, tax hikes on things we want to discourage and away we go. So do we do it? Hell no - that might lose the votes of the unemployed, productionless, apathetic, benefits sucking masses that vote the lying arseholes into Parliament to start with.

Or was that too hard to figure out?

I love paying tax... last year I paid more tax than the average salary (yeah yeah)... and it fucken HURTS. Yes I've got more to spend... but I'd have even more (and we all would) if the voters didn't insist on sitting on their arses doing nothing all day in exchagnge for (my) cash. That money should be contribution to the future of me and mine - and yet... it's not.

I'ts being syphoned off along the way to all manner of miscreants eligible for the vote - oh and the dole.

'nuff said.

[Skyryder]

With the exception of the globally buoyant dairy industry, New Zealand banks don't want to lend to businesses that compete with foreign producers. The high New Zealand dollar has rendered uncompetitive New Zealand's manufacturing, tradable services and non-dairy farming. Yet these crippled industries are required to be our country's breadwinners of the twenty-first century. How else will we pay for our imports when the baby-boom generation retires? Why would anyone start an export business knowing that favourable conditions (as in 2001) will only ever be short-lived?

You can have all the knowledge economies you want but at the end of the day you need goods to trade with.

Skyyrder

[Finn]

Unfortunately, for it to really work, you need a population where most people aren't significantly stupider than I am.

Or modest. But I agree.

[Finn]

I love paying tax... last year I paid more tax than the average salary (yeah yeah)... and it fucken HURTS.

Then stop doing it. Good post though.

[ManDownUnder]

Then stop doing it. Good post though.

Then teach me oh wise one (no - seriously). I probably know it but am too fucken lasy or stupid or somehow embued with a moral debt to society. I also have a mortgage than feels like I'm disembowelled every month.

I think I'll call it my period...

Beer... sir...?

[jrandom]

Then teach me oh wise one...

You're a schlub on salary. You don't have a lot of options if you stay that way.

[Finn]

Then teach me oh wise one (no - seriously). I probably know it but am too fucken lasy or stupid or somehow embued with a moral debt to society. I also have a mortgage than feels like I'm disembowelled every month.

I think I'll call it my period...

Beer... sir...?

A sharp accountant could lower your tax liability but it does require a bit of work to get there. Your mortgage will help you.

Beer? Sure.

[jrandom]

Or modest.

I did cringe ever so slightly as I typed that post, but I figured it's both true and relevant, and everyone already thinks I'm a cunt, so what the hell.

[jrandom]

Beer? Sure.

If you're going to hold a wise-up session on LAQCs and the like for MDU, can I come too? It's all Greek to me.

[ManDownUnder]

A sharp accountant could lower your tax liability but it does require a bit of work to get there. Your mortgage will help you.

Beer? Sure.

I can possibly name one but she's ultra conservative... names are good - beer is gooder. 'sides I owe you one - and a beer too. Name the date and make sure you're lubed up

[Finn]

I did cringe ever so slightly as I typed that post, but I figured it's both true and relevant, and everyone already thinks I'm a cunt, so what the hell.

Then that's okay. There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance and buggered if I can find it. This doesn't go down well in NZ.

Without divulging too much info on your software development, can you let us know what it is?