Jemma Stevenson: Not even the no. 8 wire can fix this

Due to New Zealand’s geographic distance from other countries, Kiwis developed a DIY attitude in the days when trading was difficult. As a result, some remarkable inventions were created. In 2006, New Zealand even ranked fourth in the world for patents filed in proportion to gross domestic product.

Unfortunately, this tendency to invent new things has also extended to successive governments – they just can’t stop creating new portfolios!