PM puts New Zealand up for sale
Prime Minister John Key has suggested New Zealand would be a good option for anyone in the market to buy a country.
At a lunch hosted by the trans-Tasman business circle at Auckland's Langham hotel today, he asked the 800-strong audience: "If someone wanted to buy a country, why wouldn't they buy New Zealand?"
When questioned by reporters afterwards about the country suddenly being on the market, Mr Key continued his sales pitch.
"We produce what the world wants, we have an abundance of natural resources, we've got good rainfall, a smart population.
"We're in the fastest growing part of the world, we're not indebted as a country from the Government point of view," he says, seemingly ignoring the glaring $8 billion deficit outlined in the budget yesterday.
He did not signal an asking price for New Zealand.
Despite Mr Key's enthusiasm for the budget, NBR ONLINE subscribers don't agree, with the majority saying it was "too timid".
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Comments and questions24
Well - he's right, certainly when compared to the likes of Greece...
So pleased National won in 08... and will win the next few terms also - otherwise we would have ended up like Greece also - especially with Cullen at the purse strings!
One can only hope, since he can't be lynched, that Cullen has KiwiRail enforced on him and told to run it profitably - but without another $250M spent on it!
We all voted for Key and national to make changes
So far he has made very few changes and certainly has created no legacy policy.
The jury is still out and the decisions the government make over the next few months will dictate whether key leaves a legacy or has to leave office before the next election.
Up to you John Key
The only people/counties that produce legacy policies (if you want to determine legacy by the fact its intergnerational) is communists and military dictatorships. Is that your preferred option?
Bi partisan agreements were destroyed the day Helen Clarks husband got detained in the bogs at the LA airport for propositioning an undercover cop (yes - doing a George Michael) and needed diplomatic immunity to delay NZ1 and get him out of the US before the shit hit the fan (pun intended)
Cullen was putting it in the piggy bank as far as I can remember.
Ever heard of the "Cullen Fund".
What's wrong with retaining NEW ZEALAND by having a leasing arangemement not unlike a maori lease.
Is the idea too hard.
There is no use grandstanding this, as he has a voted in mandate to do so, as much as a lot of us don't agree with it, he at least had the BALLS to notify the voters well in advance of the Election, and we all voted him and his party into power and this was high up on their agenda.
No use crying when you knew it was going to happen.
and...Nz is a world leader in having an emissions tax scam. ... ironically, it was key who said that was a hoax too!
A very silly comment from a prime minister!
Willie Getonwithit
What a great Idea !
Can we start with Christchurch perhaps?
Bit munted but a good do up project for some oil sheik who wants to get away from the sun & camels with enough easy women in Saint Albans doing what they like best.
When did Michael Cullen go from being considered tight-fisted by the National party to being considered frivolous with money? I think maybe somewhere between 2008 and now.
New Zealand today needs strategic partner to learn from them how they succeed in the global business arena in opening 190 markets in the world while we are in recession. It is Turkey leadership with long term vision and hard work team that support him to reduce country inflation rates from 55 percent to 10 cent now. .
Kiwi businesses they donot need to put the blame on the government of zero budget or budget without hope. They need to go out from the comfort zone and understand that life is power struggle they must succeed that what Turkish. businesses have succeed. When the Prime Minister of Turkey travel oversea on official viisit to a country he takes with him 300 businessmen with him to show what Turkey can offer in terms of joint venture and products and services.
It is time we have to be positive and make changes in ourselves rather than put the blame on the Government.
Business Consultant in Islamic Microfinance Enterprise..
You're quite right of course. Can you also outline what incentives (if any), are provided by the Govt to Turkish exporters, to compete in overseas markets?
Good on him at least he has some BALLS to even have a say, you never know who is around the corner.
Google wanted to buy it some years ago apparently.
It's already been sold. Warner Bros owns our film industry and will soon control our IP law. The Chinese will continue snatching up prime farmland. Watch the SOEs go into offshore holding quicker than you can blink and count the price rises in retail electric rates. Our police are minions for the FBI, NSA and CIA.
And you know what the sad thing about all of it is? We won't even get the cheque...it's all going to pay the interest on the debts that NATIONAL is running up to prove yet again that trickle down is a fairy tale for addled twits, and to pay for billions of dollars in road projects in an era when traffic volumes have registered five consecutive years of stasis or decline.
So to all you blinkered, deluded and mathematically challenged choristers that keep insisting that somehow a minority government whose real electoral support slipped from 2008 to 2011 has a mandate to do anything with so many far-reaching and negative consequences I offer this: I will send my kids to collect the bill. They didn't run up these insane debts and they sure as hell don't deserve to be saddled with the tab. See you in the brighter future.
Why does it not surprise me to see S Bradford out on the street protesting with all the other freeloaders after the budget. Least she's consistent. I hate that women.
He is right ... that is why the evil bankers that he was working for sent him back home with a privitisation agenda... after the SoE sales he will go back to the USA and get a golden handshake for the job well done while we get farmed....
Apple could buy the Souht Island with cash!
National has marginalised the people and put the country on the open market to the rest of the world. It is Treason
"A very silly comment from a prime minister!" Very true Willie, but it very reflective of the man; He is simply a margin man whose friends make money out of clipping the ticket but have no plan for improving the value of anything, least of all the standard of living.
Cullen and his team repurchased Air NZ, started Kiwibank and Kiwisaver. Put billions into the so called Cullen fund ( today $19 b)
This current lot stopped the contributions to the fund, gave $12.50 a week to the low paid and put GST up 20 %. The tax cuts to the well off mean they have borrowed 2b to pay for this and are now planning to sell our plum assets to repay the loans. Great fiscal management on behalf of a select few.
He's doing his best to sell it off, so not a surprising comment. He took over government with a surplus having been producing for the previous nine years, plunged us into more debt for no return and no surplus. This government has mishandled the economy, promised things they can't deliver and think they can smile their way out of it. Now they want to sell off the family silver - no they do not have a mandate, nearly 1 million voters didn't even bother to vote!
what medication is key on he wants to change his doctor quick.