Ross Meurant: End of the Rainbow

As a kid I was told, that at the end of the rainbow, there was a pot of gold.

In 1980 Rt Hon Rob Muldoon (as he was then) responding to Bob Jones (as he was then), demonstrated astonishing prescience, when he said that by 2030 the population of NZ (which at the time was 3 million) would be 2 million. (1)

He went on to describe “a future world in which national barriers were virtually non-existent, in which trade and people flowed freely” and the huge cities which at the time were generally regarded as “dangerous and unpleasant, would instead become meccas of excitement”, whereas NZ would become, “a quiet retreat, its youth and its vitally creative people constantly moving abroad, particularly to Australia”.

Kate Hawkesby: We've gotten complacent and happy with average

"It’s a fantastic place to grow up as a kid... and it’s also a great place to retire... it's the in-between bits that are tricky,” said Neil Finn when once asked what NZ was like.

It’s the same now I’d argue. He also said, and bear in mind this is many, many years ago, that it was "the worst place in the world to be if you had any ambition.” That’d be true now too I reckon.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: This country needs a change to stop people from leaving

I don’t think it’s going to surprise you to hear the huge numbers of Kiwi workers thinking about moving to Australia- it's a third of us. 

Researchers from Massey and Otago Universities asked workers if they would consider moving to Australia. 10 percent said yes, and 26 percent said maybe.

Now, thinking about it and doing it are two different things. But I’ve never had this many  conversations personally with people wanting to leave.

Kate Hawkesby: A big loss to us

So I’ve just been to Sydney last week and I’ve got to go again this week – these are not holiday trips, these are events I’m attending so I’m in and out, but here’s what I can tell you about Australia, it’s going off.

And by that I mean it’s energized, it feels ambitious, it’s got everything going for it that we used to have but have sadly lost. Even in Melbourne when we were there a few weeks back, the vibe was more upbeat, and that’s a city that’s mimicked Auckland’s a lot in terms of post Covid decline... more homeless, more edgy peeps around at night, more for lease signs. Yet the city still hums.

Mike Hosking: You can't blame people leaving NZ

If you missed the interview with Marc Ellis in the NZ Herald over the weekend, read it.

One of the great sadnesses around Ellis is he got successful in business and, as a result, disappeared.

I miss people like him in public life.