Kiwiblog

Paul Walker has blogged Zimbabwe’s new annual inflation rate.

It is 10.2 quadrillion precent. That is 10.2 million billion or 10,200,000,000,000,000%.

That makes me feel better about NZ hitting 5.1%. But only slightly.

The LA Times reports on how it is a trans-Tasman battle for medals per capita with Australia 2nd and NZ 3rd. I suspect we will slip back by the end of the Olympics though.

If Michael Phelps was a nation, he’d definitely win the medals per capita count

Later today Phelps competes for his 8th gold medal. It is the 4 x 100 m medley relay. It was very close in the heats.

There is now a dedicated website for the Invade New Zealand winning advertising pitch. It brings up the winning video in full screen.

Two Australian ad agencies pitch for why Australia should invade New Zealand.

I give it to 303 Agency easily.

Hat Tip: Frog Blog

As France and Colombia celebrate the release of Ingrid Betancourt, a reader points out to me the NZ connection as detailed in Wikipedia:

After graduating, she married fellow student Fabrice Delloye in 1983, and they had two children, Mélanie (born 1985) and Lorenzo (born 1988). Through this marriage she became a French citizen. Her husband served in the French diplomatic corps, and the couple lived in multiple countries, including New Zealand and the Seychelles. During the 1980s, she briefly lived in Quito, Ecuador, where she worked as an aerobics instructor.

In the mid 1990s, Betancourt and Delloye divorced, and she married Colombian advertising executive, Juan Carlos Lecompte in 1997.

Her children Melanie and Lorenzo moved to New Zealand to live with their father due to death threats stemming from her political activities. They were 16 and 13 when she was kidnapped in 2002.

I don’t think I have seen that NZ connection mentioned in the traditional media, which is surprising as normally any connection to New Zealand – no matter how tenuous – is seized upon.

As I have blogged previously, New Zealand is campaigning for a spot on the UN Human Rights Council – an institution rapidly becoming as discredited as its predecessor. We should be running a mile from it, rather than cosying up to the dictators and abusers who make up a significant proportion of its membership.

Fran O’Sullivan notes that we appear to be refusing to condemn Iran’s nuclear programme, so that we do not get offside with the Islamic states whose support is needed to get elected.

The unfortunate upshot is a perception that neither politician wants to speak frankly about Iran in case New Zealand’s UN campaign is jeopardised by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference which is one of the dominant forces on the rights council.

The council – which includes a number of serial rights abusers – has been criticised by the Economist for making a fetish out of one-sided Israel bashing. Its Islamic members have succeeded in passing a resolution saying free speech could be limited out of respect for religions and beliefs.

There is an unfortunate pattern emerging. If New Zealand puts its trade interests centre-stage, but only plays a strong bat on democratic infringements when they involve small basket-cases like Fiji, what do we stand for?

If National gets elected, they should drop our bid to be on the Human Rights Council, and concentrate on UN institutions which are not as discredited.

Paul Walker blogs on the benefits of economic freedom, and mentions Hong Kong and Cuba:

An interesting point of comparison is that in 1958 Cuba’s per capita GDP was $3,170 while Hong Kong had a per capita GDP of $2,924. Since then these two countries have followed very different development paths in terms of economic freedom . Today Cuba is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, very different from today’s Hong Kong.

So in 1958 Cuba had a higher GDP per capita than Hong Kong. And today?

Hong Kong is US$41,944 (PPP) compared to around US$4,500 for Cuba.

Cuba has a state which is basically 100% of GDP. In Hong Kong it is under 20%. In NZ it is 42%.

Last Sunday the Herald on Sunday ran a two-page feature from me profiling New Zealand, using the Electorate Profiles I had blogged about in March.

This wasn’t a political feature, but demographic. We analysed around half a dozen of the more interesting electorates – Auckland Central, Botany, Clutha-Southland, Tauranga, Epsom, Mangere and Northland, to see what was distinctive in each area.

Ironically I have not seen the final article myself as I missed getting a paper that day, but have had some very nice feedback on it.

One of the things I did in researching it also, was draw up a list of “most” and leasts” for various indicators. For those interested, here it is:

• Most under 15s – Mangere – 30%
• Most 15 – 19 year olds – Dunedin North – 14%
• Most 20 – 29 year olds – Auckland Central – 30%
• Most 30 – 49 year olds – Ohariu – 35%
• Most 50 – 64 year olds – Coromandel – 21%
• Most over 65s – Otaki – 23%
• Youngest median age – Manurewa – 28 years
• Oldest median age – Otaki – 44 years 

• Most residents born overseas – Botany – 49%
• Most born in New Zealand – Invercargill – 90%

• Most Buddhists – Botany – 4.6%
• Most Catholics – Hutt South – 18%
• Most Christians – Mangere – 71%
• Most Hindus – Mt Roskill – 12%
• Most Muslims – Mt Roskill – 7%
• Least Catholics – Nelson – 10%
• Most Ratana – Northland – 5.4%
• Most Brethren – Palmerston North – 1.3%
• Most Jews – Tamaki – 1.4% 

• Most Married – Selwyn – 56%
• Most one-person households – Christchurch Central – 32%
• Most mortgaged – Helensville – 43%
• Most mortgage free homes – Ilam – 37%
• Most Home Owners – Selwyn – 78%
• Most renting – Wellington Central – 44%

• Most Europeans – Rodney – 83%
• Most Maori – East Coast – 46%
• Most Pacific Islanders – Mangere – 59%
• Most Asians – Mt Roskill – 40% 

• Most family incomes over $100,000 – Epsom – 46%
• Lowest median family income – Northland – $43,500

• Most home phones – Ilam 96%
• Most cellphones – Ohariu – 82%
• Most Internet access – Ohariu – 76% 

• Most unqualified – Invercargill – 32%
• Most educated – Wellington Central – 41% degree holding

• Most unemployed – Manukau East – 5.6%
• Most Labourers – Rangitata – 20%
• Most miners – West Coast-Tasman – 2.1%
• Most agricultural workers – Taranaki-King Country – 24% 

• Smallest – Epsom – 23 sq kms
• Largest – Clutha/Southland – 38,000 sq kms

 Took a long time going through all 63 electorate profiles, but was an interesting job.

The Press reports on the figures put out by National showing the growing gap in after tax income between Australia and New Zealand.

In 1999 the average after tax income was $32,704 in Australia and $27,128 in New Zealand. That is a gap of $5,576 and has average NZ after tax income at 83% of Australia’s.

In 2007 Australia is $46,000 and NZ $34,000. That is a gap twice as large at $12,000 and means average NZ income is now only 74% of Australia.

The Centre for Independent Studies, of which I am a proud member, is seeking a Policy Analyst or Research Fellow for their NZ Policy Unit. The job is based in Sydney but you end up back in NZ a fair bit.

I would have loved a job like this when I was an employee, and the current staffer has described it as the best job he has ever had.

If you have the right skills, experience and background and want to join the brain-drain, then this may be for you.

I’m also running a (free) ad for them for the job.