Rowling on the Economy

It is becoming very fashionable these days to talk about New Zealand 'being at the crossroads". Under all the endless wads of official reports on the subject, there is one hard cold fact.

The fat days, the easy days, are well and truly over for New Zealand. We stand revealed as a small, smug, and stagnating country, perched on the end of the world's shipping lanes. Traditional markets are disappearing. The shape and texture of the social welfare state that we have accepted for generations is being questioned and tested, as never before.

It has always been part of the beliefs of most New Zealanders that no one in this country needs to suffer economic hardship unless they bring it on themselves. Most New Zealanders believe in the idea of equal opportunity, and basic rights, and a fair deal for everyone. That belief has been built on a very long-standing foundation; the right to work, and the right of every New Zealander to take home a basic living wage.