Upton On Line - The Brain Drain
On the "Brain Drain" and the "doom and gloom" parade.
We've heard a lot in recent times about the
recently reinvigorated activities of
the "Brain Drain".
Opposition parties particularly have seen fit to play
on
latent insecurities in the New Zealand psyche by
pointing to large numbers of
our best and brightest
leaving these shores.
Nothing, aside from death and
taxes, is more certain than that some bright
New
Zealanders (and some not so bright, no doubt) will
seek their fortunes overseas.
Why wouldn't they? New
Zealanders are well trained and can foot it in
the
world's great capitals.
The rate of migration will
ebb and flow, as you would expect. When our currency
is
low, as it is now, the lure of British pounds or the
American dollar is
greater.
After a while, most come
back. Some stay on and some excel, and that's no
bad
thing.
Let me make two observations:
The first is
about keeping our nerve as a country. The "doom and gloom"
brigade
in the opposition ranks, sections of the
media and amongst the collection of
vicars and academics
who seem to pop up everywhere, offer little but
negativity.
As it is with an individual, so it is with
a country. If you always see the
worst in things,
more often than not, you're doomed to mediocrity and
gradual
decline. If you accentuate the positive,
and believe in yourself, the
opportunities are
endless.
The 1990s have been a good decade for New
Zealand, and there is no reason why we
shouldn't continue
to prosper.
It's alarming that our self-esteem as a
nation rests so heavily on the success
or failure of the
All Blacks.
Obviously, it's in New Zealand's interest
to retain and attract a vibrant
population of skilled
people. This leads to my second point, (and it's
been
made many times, but it needs restating), nothing
will make that more difficult
than Labour and the
Alliance's proposed tax hikes and changes to our
industrial
laws.
There are some prim people about
saying they'd be very happy to pay a little
more tax in
order to fund this, that and the other thing. Well there's
nothing
stopping them writing a cheque to Work and
Income New Zealand if they like.
But, do we want to
end up as a country whose only inhabitants are
those
committed to self-flagellation through ever higher
taxes, while those of a less
puritanical nature have
fled?
Because that's the risk we run. Those New
Zealanders who are world citizens and
for whom the
brighter lights, higher salaries, and (in many cases) lower
taxes
overseas beckon, will vote with their feet.
Which
might also have something to do with the equivocal
state of business
confidence since the middle of the
year. Our economic fundamentals are
improving. The
world economy is improving. So why would business be in
an
uncertain frame of mind?
I'd suggest it has not a
little to do with the fact that for the first time in
15
years, a major party is promoting tax hikes and industrial
mayhem. No wonder
they're awaiting the outcome of
the election to decide whether to invest
or
emigrate.
ends