Roger Partridge: Schumpeter comes to Wellington

(And what we can learn from the Luddites)

In 1987 Telecom New Zealand employed about 25,000 people. By 1997 it employed under 8,000. A single corporation shed 17,000 jobs in a decade, in a country of 3.3 million. The cost of Telecom’s long-distance calls fell by 60 per cent between 1987 and 1992. The decade that followed was, on the New Zealand Productivity Commission’s assessment, a period of historically high labour productivity growth.

Mike's Minute: Some thoughts on the public service cuts

As the political battle unfolds with the public service over savings, it is worth remembering a couple of things.

As much heat as the Government is taking over the so-called cuts, and to be honest I am not sure that there is in fact a great deal of heat outside of Wellington, it might be worth remembering that the previous Government was the one who handed out the jobs like there was no tomorrow.

Roger Partridge: Public Service cuts needed to help rein in Government spending

The New Year always brings the promise of a new beginning. But it also confronts us with last year’s headaches. The problems we may have been only too happy to consign to the back of our minds as we enjoyed a summer break with family and friends.

For the National-led Government, the list of challenges inherited in 2023 is long. But few ministers will return to the Beehive with as daunting a task as Finance Minister Nicola Willis.