Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 13. June 11 1979
Dear Sir,
[ unclear: is] appropriate at this time, when the [ unclear: of] a third world war is worrying more [ unclear: more] people, that we should look at New Zealand.
[ unclear: r] without a doubt New Zealand would [ unclear: best] place to be in a nuclear holocaust, [ unclear: winds] would blow the fall-out away the equator back into the northern [ unclear: he] [ unclear: ere.] New Zealand and Patagonia, as [ unclear: two] places nearest Antartica would have [ unclear: the est] chance of survival............
In my opinion the Prime Minister is too sanguine about the facts of New Zealand's international position (see the article on page 8.) I expect to see pressure from international bankers forcing reforms before the situation is lost......
Don't be put off by the government's instransigent attitude towards multinationals in search of energy......
Things will get worse until the Government summons the strength to reconstruct the economy......
Soon the government will be forced to a more reasonable attitude towards [ unclear: companies] with the ability to find and use energy ....To me, it is nearly certain that New Zealand has oil in quantities enough to make it an exporter; it will be forced to offer terms that make it attractive to prospect......
Apart from benefiting from one of the best climates for temperate agriculture in the world and its reserves of energy, New Zealand also contains the largest plantations of pine in the world (they boast that Pinus Radiata grows quicker in New Zealand than in any other part of the world) - and thanks to its economic decline, probably the cheapest white-skinned and educated labour force......
Although everybody agrees that the solution to New Zealand's troubles lies in restructuring of the economy, I doubt whether Mr Muldoon will have the strength to enforce the necessary measures. His main ambition is to be re-elected for the third time in 1981, and for this he depends on the votes of the middle-income suburbanites who are just the people who will be most hurt in the short [ unclear: run] by reform......
Even their immigration policies are stricter than Australia's. It's definitely a "white New Zealand" policy apart of course from the Maoris, who are now recovering their numbers after nearly dying out in the 19th century (when the British imposed their sovereignty in 1840)......
New Zealand's reputation among multinationals is low after some maladroit attempts by the government to get the better of the foreigner......
ICI, Ford, General Motors, Dalgety's, are all there in New Zealand, and not to supply the local market. The cheap labour makes it worth manufacturing in New Zealand to supply the Australian market with those goods that have escaped the quotas that make the plans for an Australian-New Zealand free-trade area a shambles......
Despite the opposition of the government. I advise you to explore the possibility if buying a minority share in a New Zealand finance house. Follow the example of Chase; find a sleeping partner. (In New Zealand, it would be difficult to find a banker who was not asleep.) There is a desperate lack of banking know-how and you would find companies beating a path to your door......
Wait for the big crunch before buying assets, buildings, land, hotels. There is a future for tourism in New Zealand, but as present building costs are too high; wait for them to fall......
Remember to send a sporting man to New Zealand; it's the only subject of conversation......
For further information and contact, please write to Danielle Hunebelle's International Letter.
Sincerely yours,
Danielle Hunebelle