Leading investment banker Scott St John is upbeat about the prospects for the New Zealand economy and markets saying the "tyranny of distance" has turned into an advantage.
"New Zealand continues to be a wonderful place to be and live," says St John who is managing director of NZ First Capital. "I think the rest of the world continues to wish it had our problems. I think immigration and tourism opportunities will continue to grow faster than most people think, for longer than most people think.
"The tyranny of distance has now turned into an advantage and in an infrastructural sense I hope we are bold enough and aspirational enough to capture that opportunity."
He supports the Government's announcement that it intends to invest in tourism infrastructure to underpin projections of three million tourists coming to New Zealand each year. "You don't need to travel too far to see what those numbers could mean."
Italy has close to 50 million visitors each year, with Venice attracting more than 30 million tourists alone. "We have a lot to offer ... peace and lack of crowds being two relatively attractive elements."