The government is crowing about the drop in the number of people on the Jobseeker benefit, and, to be fair, it is the biggest drop since records began in 1996. With staff shortages everywhere though, I would be surprised if this were not the case; I cannot think of a
There’s an old, apocryphal story about an international visitor touring infrastructure projects in Maoist China. Watching thousands of peasant labourers sweating to dig a dam with pickaxes and baskets, the puzzled visitors asks his CCP guide why they don’t just get a few bulldozers. “Because then we wouldn’
Simon Black sovereignman.com Simon Black, as James Hickman is more commonly known, is the Founder of Sovereign Man. He is an international investor, entrepreneur, and a free man. His daily e-letter, Notes from the Field, draws on his life, business and travel experiences to help readers gain more freedom,
For the past decade and more, we’ve been regularly treated to gushing commentary about China’s “economic miracle”. But, every time I’ve heard some economist babbling about “X% growth”, my first thought has been: That’s if you believe the Chinese Communist Party. The first thing anyone must
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Richard Hume I am not sure if this constitutes news but I have finally found a good use for Jacinda Ardern. I have put her photo on my biscuit tin to help keep me away from the Mint Creams and Dutch Marzipan Cakes that I am so vulnerable to. I
Ronald Stein cfact.org Ron Stein is an engineer who, drawing upon 25 years of project management and business development experience, launched PTS Advance in 1995. He is an author, engineer, and energy expert who writes frequently on issues of energy and economics. The Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors
Guy Hatchard, PhD Guy Hatchard, PhD is a former senior manager at Genetic ID, a food testing and certification company. You may not have noticed this week that our deputy PM Grant Robertson (he who refuses to answer emails about the pandemic because it is nothing to do with him)
One of the greatest fallacies of the Wuhan pandemic was the delusion by too many governments that they could just “freeze” national economies, turning them off and on like flicking a light switch. As we are seeing with, for instance, the spiralling supply chain crisis, it just doesn’t work
Over the years, I have done a large number of applications to IRD on behalf of clients for payment arrangements for unpaid tax. IRD would inevitably ask for copies of bank statements (3 months, or even 6 months), even though we had filled in an application form, giving details of
John Ling wealthmorning.com John is the Chief Investment Officer at Wealth Morning. His responsibilities include trading, client service, and compliance. He is an experienced investor and portfolio manager, trading both on his own account and assisting with high net-worth clients. In addition to contributing financial and geopolitical articles to
Don Brash bassettbrashandhide.com Don Brash was Reserve Bank Governor from 1988 to 2002, and National Party Leader from 2003 to 2006 There are lots of ways of measuring how New Zealand is doing, and none of them is perfect. We stack up very well on measures like life expectancy,
It started with bus drivers. We couldn’t get bus drivers for love or money. Most people saw bus driving as an undesirable job; poor pay, split shifts and unsociable hours. People don’t want to be bus drivers, but they do want buses. Therein lies the problem. Then along
It is very strange the way the whole world seems to be having exactly the same problems at the moment. There’s the pandemic obviously, but also, all countries seem to be struggling with inflation, shortages of various items, supply chain issues and staff shortages. Inflation is easy to explain;
