Worried New Zealanders want growth strategy plan

By FRAN O'SULLIVAN

Most New Zealanders lack confidence that the country has a growth strategy in place to return it to the top half of the world's 30 richest nations.

And nearly a quarter of them have been thinking more about going to live overseas because of the economy and its prospects.

A Herald-DigiPoll survey, published on the eve of Knowledge Wave 2003 - The Leadership Forum, gives a strong message to the nearly 450 business, government and community leaders who gather in Auckland tomorrow to examine New Zealand's direction that they must do their bit to lift leadership aspirations rather than simply put pressure on the Government.

The lifting of New Zealand's ranking in the OECD is a goal set by Prime Minister Helen Clark and supported by National. In December last year New Zealand was 21st in terms of per capita GDP.

Forum host and Auckland University vice-chancellor John Hood said the results were sobering.

The need to produce credible growth strategies and to lift leadership aspirations justified the need to raise public dialogue about these matters and to precipitate appropriate action in response, he said.

Dr Hood said he was deeply concerned that 25 per cent of those surveyed were more inclined to think about going to live overseas than in the past.

"We can ill-afford to lose talented New Zealanders under any circumstances.

"To do so because they are unsettled by the situation of the New Zealand economy and its prospects is untenable and calls for dynamic responses from our political and administrative leadership, from the business sphere and from civic leadership.

"While there are no silver bullets, there is much more we can do."

The poll also showed that immigration remained a hot topic, with 49.6 per cent saying that present policy, which allows net immigration of 50,000 people a year, was "loose".

Herald Special Report - February 18, 2003:
Knowledge Wave 2003 - the leadership forum

Herald feature: