Lesson 1: the red meat numbers.
We export a fortune in meat to the world. The critical part of it is it is the best of quality – quality will always beat quantity.
Why? Because the world will always contain large numbers of people unaffected by economic tides, and people with money like good stuff.
There are some things in life beyond the prevailing tide – Château Lafite, Bugatti cars, Rolex watches, and New Zealand meat and indeed wine. Not literally, but you get the point.
Onions will sell better in Europe because of our free trade agreement with the EU. We need fewer tariffs in that case because onions are onions, but meat is about quality. Like kiwifruit is. Like great Boudreaux wine is.
That’s not to say tariffs are good business, because they are not. And lord only knows how rich we could be if the world really was truly tariff free, but for the here and now our red meat numbers into America are unaffected because people will pay for quality.
Lesson 2: the job numbers. More people, young people, have stayed in or gone back to school because if they didn’t, they would be jobless. The 15 to 24 age group have an unemployment rate of over 15%. It’s shocking.
Why? Because a constrained market doesn’t provide work for people with limited or no skills.
Young people start out with the disadvantage of no experience, add no skills to that and you are toast.
This is not new, but it is new to the current lot, who clearly never got the previous lot’s memo that it’s hard enough as it is to get into the job market without turning up ill-prepared.
But here is what I know about life and economies: it doesn’t matter what the economic circumstances are, good people with good skills and good attitude and good determination are always, always, in demand and will do well.
And good stuff, well made, with a story, high in quality, will always, always, do well.
Quality, whether in person or product, is recession proof.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
Onions will sell better in Europe because of our free trade agreement with the EU. We need fewer tariffs in that case because onions are onions, but meat is about quality. Like kiwifruit is. Like great Boudreaux wine is.
That’s not to say tariffs are good business, because they are not. And lord only knows how rich we could be if the world really was truly tariff free, but for the here and now our red meat numbers into America are unaffected because people will pay for quality.
Lesson 2: the job numbers. More people, young people, have stayed in or gone back to school because if they didn’t, they would be jobless. The 15 to 24 age group have an unemployment rate of over 15%. It’s shocking.
Why? Because a constrained market doesn’t provide work for people with limited or no skills.
Young people start out with the disadvantage of no experience, add no skills to that and you are toast.
This is not new, but it is new to the current lot, who clearly never got the previous lot’s memo that it’s hard enough as it is to get into the job market without turning up ill-prepared.
But here is what I know about life and economies: it doesn’t matter what the economic circumstances are, good people with good skills and good attitude and good determination are always, always, in demand and will do well.
And good stuff, well made, with a story, high in quality, will always, always, do well.
Quality, whether in person or product, is recession proof.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
5 comments:
At a time when, globally, we have unprecedented access, literally at our fingertips, to virtually any information that has ever existed, ironically, we have never been more bloody stupid.
For any young person who is lucky enough to be given good advice that they listen to, has their head screwed on, and with a very large dose of healthy scepticism, there are vast opportunities for personal development everywhere.
It's never been easier, kids.
Smash your bloody phone, learn about the things that really are important, and you will have a fantastic, rewarding and productive life. You will leave this planet having left it a better place.
...and don't forget the people who gave you this advice.
Respect them.
They've given you the greatest bargain in the world.
Ameni.
Quality is recession proof as are illegal price fixing cartels excessive profits.
In Jan 2025, In an ambitious bid to stimulate growth, Luxon introduced the concept of Invest New Zealand, a dedicated agency designed to streamline the foreign investment process.
8 months later Rob Morrison of Invest NZ says levels of foreign direct investment into New Zealand are low compared with other countries.
So where the bloody hell are the investments Chris?
Could illegal price colluding NZ electricity generators who are charging double international norms for energy be keeping investors away?
Could it be because of the NZ insurance cartel which mysteriously "shouts" MPs business class flights to the other side of the world and back, have unjustifiably increased premiums in the middle of a significant rescession:
Q3 2024
Car insurance: Up by 18%,
House insurance: up 17%
Contents insurance: Up 12%
General insurance: Up 17%
Could it be that Luxons promise to "fix the joint" was actually in reference to his secretive support for Chloes society ruining pro drug agenda?
Luxon made sure the big factors ruining kiwi battlers lives, and keeping high productivity and high pay industries away from NZ, wont be fixed when promoted and supported the dumb and dishonest Nicola Ardern oops Willis.
Is this really what you wanted to achieve during your time in office Chris?
"good people with good skills and good attitude and good determination are always, always, in demand and will do well" unless they are want work in Wellington which is te tiriti led,......
I don't understand the drivel in this article.
Yes, NZ produces high quality meat ....and onions
And we have a surplus of juicy tender 15- to 24-year-olds
And it suggests a nice wine they might be served with.
What have I missed?
Sauce.
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