Jul 24, 2008

Brian Fallow On NZ First's Latest Protectionist Idea

Brian Fallow analyses Winston's idea for a fund to buy back NZ assets.

New Zealand First wants to reduce foreign ownership of New Zealand assets and proposes setting up a fund to buy some of them back.
It is time, Winston Peters told the party faithful last weekend, to staunch the haemorrhage of money to Australian-owned banks and other foreign interests.
Yet this tub-thumping came only three days after the Treasury published research which concluded that foreign capital has been on balance positive for national income.
Just as well, because we are certainly hooked on it.