Aardvark Daily

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Cottage online porn, NZ's saviour?

4 March 2007

NZ's productivity (as measured against that of our trading partners and peers) is at an appallingly low level.

The fact is that we just don't work hard or smart enough and that puts us on the back foot in the dog-eat-dog world of the international marketplace.

There's no way we can match the "work per wage-dollar" output of places like China or the Philippines, and our chances of leading a knowledge revolution are hog-tied by our addiction to property investment and an education system that few are happy with.

But, we're told, the *real* reason we're lagging behind is none of these factors, it's our second-world broadband system.

Who tells us that?

Our politicians -- and they should know, shouldn't they?

That's right, our poor performance apparently has far less to do with poor policy and decision-making on the part of successive governments and everything to do with Telecom's dragging of the broadband chain.

My goodness... how very convenient for our politicians!

However, I am more than a little cynical about these claims.

Surely the recent increase in workers holiday allowance does absolutely nothing but drag our productivity down even lower. Now, a business that employs staff will effectively have one in every 12 workers on permanent holiday -- being paid for doing absolutely nothing.

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Okay, so we all need a holiday now and then, if we're to avoid burn-out -- but did we really need that extra week? Were too many of NZ's labour force dropping like flies for lack of another week off?

Hell no they weren't -- in fact I don't even remember people asking for more holidays.

But back to broadband for a moment...

Now, if a 21st-century broadband network really will pull us into the first-world, why are we sitting on a government surplus that must be nearly $10bn by now?

Surely it would make total sense to spend just a few billion of that on building a nation-wide fibre network and ensuring that we have the hi-speed internet access that government claims is holding us back.

Well don't hold your breath -- because it ain't going to happen.

Why not?

Well Helen, Mike, Jimbo and the rest all know full well that our poor broadband network is just an excuse that can be used to cover their deficiencies and failure to hike NZ's productivity and performance in the global economy.

In fact, the worst thing that could happen right now would be for ubiquitous, reliable, hi-speed broadband to suddenly become available to everyone.

I'm sure the politicians would deny this but if/when they do, I'm calling on them to put their money where there mouth is and prove me wrong.

After all, if we're being held back only by a lack of broadband, throwing a few billion at the problem would surely result in a massive return on that investment? Wouldn't it?

Well I'm sorry but the only way faster, cheaper broadband would earn NZ more money is if we created a nation of cottage online porn and gambling operators. Is that what you were thinking of Helen?

Have your say on this...

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