David Farrar: Hurdle on light rail

Tim Hurdle writes:

Building new rail networks is super expensive as the Auckland light rail debacle showed. The Australian ABC TV show Utopia has mined a rich vein of comedy explaining the realities of their boondoggles, such as “the Very Fast Train” between Melbourne and Sydney. Perhaps NZ On Air could fund a similar show so we could explore some of the projects that Kiwis mythologise.

Tim Hurdle: How NZ could be the overnight service centre to the world

When the All Blacks front up in France, we have an early start. As any Kiwi sports fan knows, we are often on the wrong side of the planet when it comes to watching the game.

The same applies in global business, out of sync with the business hours of major economic centres like Europe and the eastern United States.

The London Stock Exchange opens at 8pm our time. The New York Stock Exchange opens at 1.30am.

We can turn this challenge into an opportunity and become the after-hours service centre for the global economy; leveraging our unique geographic position to provide professional services overnight to the economic and financial powerhouses of Europe and America. Our trade should be measured in data and PDF files.