Difficult to know what to make of John Key’s speech in parliament on Tuesday. It provided no incentives for manufacturing and industry overall and focused more on getting people off the benefit and raising GST. It is probably too simple to ask where those coming off a benefit will find a job seeing that unemployment is currently over seven percent?

I find the lack of vision for New Zealand’s future sadly lacking. If we are to be a highly productive nation, incentives and opportunities need to be available. We need to arrest the slide of the Fisher & Paykels overseas and Fonterras to greener pastures. Manufacturing needs a moratorium from stress and more accessible schemes and business assistance to go forward.

We cannot rely on tourism to bring in the loot and to be really cynical “How will we keep on paying the All Blacks?” Raise GST at the gate – of course, how silly of me!

If taxes are reduced in the May budget, one needs to ask who will benefit. GST is going up, so the savings in personal tax has found another place to be spent. The spread of income to government stays high and – again – no vision is being shown to grow manufacturing.

Dr Bollard was right – and Blind Freddy could have seen it – when he said we cant catch up to Australia. Who can? They were never in a recession, their income is thirty percent higher than ours and even though it can be said they have expenses and inflation, they have wider choices and greater employment opportunities. They have a better cricket team (now there’s a successful business story for you)

In essence, our people will continue to drift ‘across the ditch’ because they can’t see a future here.

A poll, published in The Sunday Star Times two weeks ago, indicated that 46% of young people saw their future outside NZ. Are you really surprised by that fact?

John Key and National…….they need to get real about growth or they will be a one term government. NZ Manufacturer believes in our designers, creators and producers. We want them to be given the tools to succeed on local and overseas markets.