Oct 24, 2008

Today's NBR

Another very good NBR out today.

Rob Hosking looks at Cullen's attempts to get a wholesale banking guarantee in place by 8 November.

Hugh de Lacy looks at the establishment of a new lobby group - Straterra. The group's goal is to double the resource sector's annual contribution to the economy - at present $4 billion. The group is Chaired by the impressive Chair of Pike River Coal John Dow.

Hugh also looks at Southland's potential to produce diesel from lignite. If Government supports this initiative it could be up an running in 5 years.

Ben Thomas looks at Michael Cullen's dusting off of the goal to move NZ back into the top half of the OECD per capita wealth table (a goal that was quietly dropped a few years back). And Trinh Le of NZIER does an analysis that suggests that on current growth tracks New Zealand will not reach the middle rung of the OECD ladder until 2170.

Stephen Selwood has an excellent think piece on the need for a grand plan for infrastructure. We agree with pretty much every word.

Ben Thomas has another article looking at the campaign and the breaking down of previously understood rules of MMP.

And there are multiple articles by Mark Peart - on the implications of our dependency on agriculture exports, prospects for the "natural products industry", and a review of a thought provoking speech to the Japan-New Zealand Business Council.

The final article that caught our eye was by Minter Ellision's Scott Gallagher. Scott thinks that the Doha Round should be put out of their misery. We don't fully agree with this by the way, but we encourage free speech. Let a hundred flowers bloom........................