Letter No.130
8 September, 2000

16 August 2000

Parliament's finance committee endorses a policy that government departments buy NZ-made goods and services "where cost effective". The Industrial Supplies Office, which filters government purchasing, says that every $1m of import substitution saves 16 New Zealand jobs.

Green MP Sue Bradford's Social Services Bill does not make it past the first reading. The Bill, which would have seen the eligibility for the emergency unemployment benefit reinstated for all students during the summer break and the abolition of the 13 weeks stand down for the dole, does not gain enough support to be sent to a select committee.

17 August 2000

The Ministry of Economic Development sets aside $100,000 to revive the `Buy New Zealand Made' campaign.

18 August 2000

Three hundred junior doctors are expected to leave NZ this year. One of the doctors, Suzanne Miles, says that in order to keep her in NZ, the government would have to make concessions of at least $10,000/yr —which is how much more she will earn when she takes up a position in Australia. Mills has a $65,000 student debt.

20 August 2000

A new deepwater facility for building superyachts is being planned for a waterfront section of the Hobsonville Airbase in West Auckland. The Canadian-based Sovereign Yachts company says the facility would create up to 500 jobs and produce exports of as much as $300m/yr.

Air New Zealand's merger with Ansett Australia will result in job losses for Ansett management.

22 August 2000

Wanganui takes up its own `one more worker' campaign, following on from the successes in Horowhenua and Taranaki. Campaign spokesman Neal Blackburn says that if the city's small and medium businesses each took on one more worker, the unemployment rate in the city would be halved.

Health Minister Annette King says that junior doctors tell her that their student loan burden is the main reason for their recent industrial action and is why so many are leaving the country.

Taranaki Polytechnic says that 70 full time equivalent jobs, more than a quarter of its staff, are to be made redundant at the New Plymouth campus. Management says the polytech has been running in the red for two years, primarily due to a 21% reduction in student enrollments.

24 August 2000

At 42.8US cents, the NZ dollar trades at its lowest price against the US currency since it was floated in 1985.

Associate Education Minister Steve Maharey says there will be nowhere near 70 jobs lost at Taranaki Polytechnic. Maharey is in New Plymouth meeting with the polytech management and board regarding a rescue package for the institution.

25 August 2000

The first formal summit on the impact of the student loan scheme is held in Wellington by student groups. After hearing over 200 submissions, three national student unions agree to lobby for an independent review of the scheme at a parliamentary select committee meeting next month.

29 August 2000

The National Bank's business survey shows confidence improved over last month, although it is still negative. A total of 14% of business people expect conditions to deteriorate over the next twelve months. Last month the survey said 39% had a negative outlook and the month before that 59% had a negative outlook.

Alliance Party support for the free trade agreement with Singapore is debated in the party's caucus. The Alliance traditionally opposes free trade as threatening local jobs and its support of the Bill is not assured.

The Post Primary Teachers Association is predicting a teacher shortage over the next several years. The PPTA says that only just over 80% of the training places were filled at training colleges this year. A survey of schools has found that 20% of advertised teaching vacancies received either one or no applications.

Motorola Corporation tells the government it will not open a facility in Christchurch. The company is yet to announce the Australian location it has picked to base its 200 software engineers.

30 August 2000

Work begins on a superyacht facility in Whangarei that is expected to employ 120 people this year. Company spokesman Allen Jones says he wants the facility to not only build yachts but also to become the repair and valet shop of choice for the world's superyachts when they come to the South Pacific. He says the facility could employ 1,000 people within five years and twice that number in the long term.

The price of (regular) petrol jumps to $1.21/litre. This is up 42 cents or about 50% on this time last year.

Britain begins an international recruitment drive to hire 10,000 senior doctors. The NZ Resident Doctors Association says the news is concerning, considering the shortage of doctors, here. British doctors earn $60,000—$80,000 more, per annum, than their NZ counterparts.

1 September 2000

About 250 NZ'ers stage an occupation of the Olympic Committee's offices in protest at the numbers of NZ'ers who had completed a security officer's training programme in NZ, and paid their own airfares to Sydney, only to find there no jobs. Workforce International, which contracted the security officer training programme in NZ for the Sydney Olympics, has apologized to the trainees. The company admits that the people were misled as the company recruited twice as many people as there were positions.

4 September 2000

The Far North Development Trust appeals to government for funds to research and draw up a strategy document for the district's economy. Chairman Chris Mathews says the Far North is a `basket case' and appeals for local groups to co-operate with this effort to tackle the lack of economic development there.

A Waikato children's watchdog group says that there are 550 Waikato children reported to be abused or in danger and are not getting help from the Child, Youth and Families Service (CYFS). Moyna Fletcher of the Care and Protection Panel says the huge backlog of unallocated cases is a result of an acute shortage of social workers. Fletcher warns that people will stop bothering to alert CYFS of child abuse if they see the agency does not respond.

5 September 2000

Plans are revealed for a new university at Lake Taupo. The proposal aims to offer technical degrees for careers in the fast growing Asia/Pacific high tech sector. The plans are modeled on the University of Limmerick, in Ireland, which Taupo District manager Andrew Montgomery says has been a major mover in the Irish economy.

Cement maker Milburn New Zealand announces plans to cut staff by 50 over the next two years. Milburn currently employs about 650 people at 70 locations.

The average age of volunteers being referred through the Auckland Volunteer Centre is dropping. Regional manager Cheryll Martin says that while the elderly are still active in the voluntary sector, volunteers are now more likely to be younger, female and interested in short term volunteer careers.