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Wednesday's Top 10: Crisis? What crisis?; Why Fonterra Chairman John Wilson needs to front; Xinhua's 100% pure 'festering sore'; Is China about to relax its One Child policy?; Amercia's pitiful minimum wage; Dilbert

Wednesday's Top 10: Crisis? What crisis?; Why Fonterra Chairman John Wilson needs to front; Xinhua's 100% pure 'festering sore'; Is China about to relax its One Child policy?; Amercia's pitiful minimum wage; Dilbert
This daily collection of links and comment was previously sponsored by NZ Mint. We'd welcome a new sponsor.

Here's my Top 10 links from around the Internet at 10.30 am today.

As always, we welcome your additions in the comments below or via email to bernard.hickey@interest.co.nz.

See all previous Top 10s here.

My must read today is #9 on the problem with American wages and jobs, and why it matters for the world's biggest consumer economy.  

1. Crisis? - What crisis?

There's plenty in Fonterra's actions and inactions over the last year to criticise, starting with the dirty pipe, the length of time it took to confirm the botulism risk and the inconsistent warnings and information once the results were known. 

There's also plenty for Fonterra and New Zealand to learn around the way food safety issues are notified and communicated.

As mentioned below, New Zealand's dairy industry does have to work harder to protect the 100% Pure image. And certainly Fonterra Chairman John Wilson needs to be much, much more visible in New Zealand, given CEO Theo Speirings is rightly in China. 

But for all that, we have to put what has happened into a broader context and drop the panicked 'crisis' tone from the coverage.

The whey and base infant formula powder exports that are currently suspended in China are worth NZ$125 million a year. That's worth less than 0.3% of New Zealand's total exports. 

The smart money has already decided this is not an economic crisis or a crisis for New Zealand's brand. The currency is now a full cent above where it was before the announcement by Fonterra it had found the strains of bacteria that might cause botulism. Fonterra's unit's are now down just 2.4% from their Friday levels. This morning's auction of milk powder saw prices fall just 2.4% when some had expected a fall of up to 10%. 

Keep chomping on that chill pill people. 

2. But John Wilson does need to front - Fonterra shareholder Peter Scatchard had a few words of advice for Chairman John Wilson on last night's Checkpoint programme. 

Bizarrely, as of 10 am today, I have yet to see Wilson quoted or cited in the media. I'm sure there's a good reason...

Here's Scatchard:

John Wilson is looking like a fair weather chairman. He's not prepared to front a bad news story. Where is he? He's letting us down. There's a cultural arrogance at top management and at board level.

3. 'Not loving it' -  The Chinese state-owned news agency Xinhua has been covering the Fonterra botulism very closely. Here's its now widely cited editorial titled 'NZ needs to start building trust in the long term':

Glib assurances that the problems are "details" or that they are a sign that New Zealand is a "victim of its own success" in trade just don't cut it. The glibness is stalking other aspects of New Zealand's foreign trade, with the country's "100 Percent Pure" tourism campaign becoming a festering sore as experts claim that the country might not in fact be "100 percent pure."

John Key, who also serves as tourism minister, defended the campaign in April: "It's like saying 'McDonald's, I'm loving it' - I'm not sure every moment that someone's eating McDonald's they're loving it ... it's the same thing with 100 Percent Pure. It's got to be taken with a bit of a pinch of salt." No, Mr Key, it needs to be fixed before your trading partners just stop "loving it."

4. Digestive tracts - Here's an excellent cartoon from Rod Emmerson in the NZ Herald. I spent much of my youth working on dairy farms looking up from this perspective. 

5. Politics and interest rates - Kate McKenzie at FTAlphaville has a nice discussion here about the influence of Australia's Official Cash Rate on politics there. It's all very topical now Kevin Rudd has set the date (September 7) for the Australian election and the Reserve Bank of Australia yesterday cut the official rate there by 25 basis points to a record low 2.5% (now the same as in New Zealand). 

It seems John Howard once said interest rates were always higher under Labor governments. Maybe not....

Foreign financial types visiting Australia are sometimes amused at the obsession with bank mortgage rate spreads over benchmark rates, and how iron ore prices are a subject of dinner party conversation in some parts.

We’re cool with that; both are important topics for members of the highly leveraged, China-exposed Australian economy. The bigger question is whether the analysis, and the accepted wisdom, on either subject is anywhere near correct.

6. Sea floor robots in the Cook Islands - Rupert Neate writes in the Guardian about The Cook Islands' plan to transform itself by sending robots to the sea floor to collect precious minerals...

A new geological survey by Imperial College marine geochemist David Cronan estimates that the Cook Islands' 2 million square kilometre exclusive economic zone contains 10bn tonnes of manganese nodules.The nodules, which vary from the size of a potato to that of a dining table, contain manganese, nickel, copper, cobalt and rare earth minerals used in electronics. The minerals will be mined using robots first developed for underwater warfare and espionage. The technology has already been adapted for underwater oil and gas projects, but has yet to be used for large deep-sea mining projects.

Brown said it would be about five years before mining starts. He said he is in talks with some of the world's biggest mining companies and other nations about licensing deals. "We are here to meet the new players," Brown said at the world's first deep-sea mining conference in London last week. "We have had a lot interest from some companies and countries, [but] we certainly won't be jumping into bed with the first person to come along."

7. A nation of hamburger flippers - Economonitor's Dan Alpert talks here about the problem in America where much of the jobs growth is in low wage, part time service industries. 

We have become a nation of hamburger flippers, of Walmart sale associates, of barmaids, of check-out people and all those those other people who are working at a very very low wages. And this is a situation that is eventually going to percolate into labor costs throughout all sectors. The bottom line is, you have a lot of people coming off unemployment you have for many many months.

Those people were earning if you actually calculate it across the board, you’re talking about people who basically being paid the equivalent of 11.50$ an hour on unemployment. Throw in some food stamps, maybe you’re talking about 12 bucks. A $15 dollar wage to work versus $12 that you were getting – it’s no impact on the economy, the consumption is ruffly the same. That’s why GDP numbers and retail sales are so lackluster.

8. Is China about to relax its One Child policy? - Kate McKenzie at FTAlphaville looks at growing speculation in China that officials are about to relax the One Child policy at least partly responsible for China's stagnant working age population. 

Kate quotes Nomura's Zhiwie Zhang here:

We believe the chances of changing the one-child policy are rising. The size of the working age population dropped in 2012, and the ratio of the male to female population stands at 1.18, a highly imbalanced level, due to the one-child policy. The new government may gradually relax the one-child restriction in the next several years to smooth out the effect of this reform on demographics and the economy. If implemented, this reform would be positive for China in the very long term as it helps to promote sustainable growth.

The implications for the next 16 years may be mixed. The effect on the average growth rate may be slightly negative, because the saving rate will likely drop which affects investment growth adversely, and the size of the labor force remains unaffected in this period. It would also lead to a faster decline in the current account surplus as the saving rate declines, reinforcing our view that China may experience a current account deficit as early as 2015. On the positive side it helps to rebalance the economy toward a more consumption driven model, hence it may reduce the volatility of growth.

9. 'The pay is too damn low' - James Suroweicki writes in The New Yorker about the growing protests by fast food workers about their low pay. See more below from The Daily Show. 

A few weeks ago, Washington, D.C., passed a living-wage bill designed to make Walmart pay its workers a minimum of $12.50 an hour. Then President Obama called on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage (which is currently $7.25 an hour). McDonald’s was widely derided for releasing a budget to help its employees plan financially, since that only underscored how brutally hard it is to live on a McDonald’s wage. And last week fast-food workers across the country staged walkouts, calling for an increase in their pay to fifteen dollars an hour.

Low-wage earners have long been the hardest workers to organize and the easiest to ignore. Now they’re front-page news.

10. Totally John Oliver with more on the fast food wage increase campaign...and the reaction

The first One.

 

And some more here...made me LOL

 

 

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65 Comments

#6 -   scraping the bottom of the barrel. Literally. How many folk don't get what this progression means? There is no way it would be economic, if there was still low-hanging fruit in abundance.

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Rare earth metals have never been in abundance, if this technology was available in the past it would have been used then also. 

There is a danger that when we get too entrenched in our beliefs we interpret every observation through that lens and everything we see supports our view.

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Which sums up why it hasnt been used....there are cheaper ways that can be afforded...

regards

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Its something for 5 years off, like algae to oil and much else. Such technology IMHO is looking for the scamable.....er I mean investors with a long term view...to keep pumping money in when no one else does.  The not so bright have figured out that there are limits to what ppl can pay and their tech (or what they have invested in) costs more than that so are looking to unload.

Rinse and repeat.

regards

 

 

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Once again I find myself wondering what on earth you are on about steven.  Rare earth minerals are extremely valuable and if they can pick them up off the sea floor then it will be great business. 

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Well since its economics Im not surprised you are clueless. 

China has large land based mines, the US has mines its looking at re-opening despite the environmental issues.  If getting them off the bottom was cheaper in a 3rd world country why not do that? answer it isnt, its energy intensive, read expensive, but be my guest, invest in the technolgy.

regards

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Some folk clearly don't get the 'cherry-picking' sequence problem.

 

One because their mantra precludes it, I suspect.

 

The other - Julz - will get there with thought. We are not showing real global growth, at this point. Even with an un-inclusive, flawed measure like GDP, that is painfully obvious. There is serious talk of including virtual stuff in GDP, so help me. That's with the things which use rare-earths 'costing' what they do now.

That has to increase - as is the result of any lowering of ROI.

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And then there's PDK...  Mr The World is Going to End. 

 

It's easier to say "people don't get it" than to admit that you are simply a doom monger.  As resources become more scarce, and hence more expensive, we simply adapt (well some of us will). 

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What does your slow mind tell your big mouth about the sitution represented on this graph? I will give you a clue, it isn't something that is going to happen but something that has happened. Funny thing is there is a direct relation to a business model, as in if it were a business the time to act as gone and it is likely the company will go bust or be overtaken by a competitor.

 

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And I don't suffer fool, beyond a certain point. Happy if they wanna get informed, lack of tolerance kicks in if'n they don't.

 

As resources become more scarce, we will indeed adapt. Every species in overshoot always has. It gets a bit ugly, though. Much better a controlled descent into some level of consumption that can be maintained, than thit the wall then chaos.

 

A maintainable population might be 1-2 billion, the timescale to get there perhaps 20 years, but in reality we're late already.

 

And folk still hanker after 'growth'.

 

Don't blame the messenger     :)

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and mine:

http://www.paulchefurka.ca/

 

Actually we've got a psychologist staying with us at the moment (partner of a commenter hereabouts, as it happens) and we've just had a good wee rap about what makes the Happy123's of the world, tick.

 

Apparently folk have incredible ability to deny, then act as if the denial was fact - they seriously believe themselves. Hard to get a handle on, really.

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Why not ask the psychologist about them who get irritated with anybody who disagrees, and defines that as 'don't get it'.  Gets snotty with people who largely argee with them, but who seek a discussion. And real groucho when there are other topics raised. 

Also ask them about features of 'grandiosity'

Also what the symptom of an 'overvalued idea' couid indicate.

Then don't deal with any of the cognitive dissonance that might result.  There won't be any of course

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not if you stick to absolutes and logic.

 

Start from ascertaining the long-term carrying capacity of the planetary paddock. Work backwards. (You just shoot the messenger when his message gets too uncomfortable, as I recall. :)

 

I notice Flannery has changed his tune re nuclear; seems to favour PV now, which is a step in the right direction. Actually, a step in the inevitable direction; when you have broken all the stored carbon-bonds, solar is what's left. Always best to have gone there quickest.

 

The discussion did cover 'tipping-points for discomfort'.

 

:)

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Ha ha.

1.    No cognitive dissonance detected.  As predicted.

2.    Who was it first bought 'the psychologist' into play about another common taters.

3.     Ask the psych about what is happening when a viewpoint is self assesed as 'absoultes and logic'

 

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Who's absoulting who now? And who jumped to the conclusion that it was 'self-assessed'? And why?

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... " absoulting " ...... ' who's who ..... who " ...

 

Dude , you're starting to sound like an owl that can't spell ...

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http://www.paulchefurka.ca/TF.html

Interesting piece...lays it out simply. We think of 7 billion as damaging, the multiplication factor really shows it.

Makes me wonder if even 2 billion is "excessive"

 

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My pitch would be that half a billion (500 million) would be an upper limit.  But usefully much less.

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Nah , they can't be ice age cavemen ...... I have it on good authority that the ice agers seldom dwelled upon peak oil ....

 

.... apparently the cavemen's principle worry was whether the Crusaders would win the Super 15 title again ....

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ZZ - that's horseshit. Get a little relativity. The dinosaurs (we're soooooooo superior to them, right?) lasted about 170 million years. Thats 170,000,000. We are about 10,000 years from being hunter-gatherers. Of that period, we spent about 9,800 years doing stuff-all. Then we tapped into the global supply (the whole cave, there is no 'outside') of stored sunlight. In two short centuries we rocketed to an unsustainable population, started to alter the global habitat, and initiated the biggest species die-off perhaps ever.

 

Where's your other planet? More accurately, planets? When rusting boats from the northern hemisphere are reduced to chasing Toothfish from Antarctica, when China needs our milk-powder, when Monsanto are everywhere attempting to patent everything, you can know that there is no more 'forest just outside'. Even the fact that you are on the opposite side of the planet from your ancestors, is an indicator.

 

That's why Branson and co have launched PlanB. They're at the front of the thinking (but late). Good luck catching up.

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I see you are yet another in a long line of la la landers who turn up here.   Ppl such as yourself think the earth is flat. Why? because expotential growth can only continue for ever on an inifinite planet.

Either that or you have over-smoked wacky backy..........

regards

 

 

 

 

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... the earth's flat where I live ...

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That you "think" that, doesnt surprise me.

 

regards

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As a general rule, if steven says "don't invest", you should heavily invest.  How's your predictions about the housing market playing out...  Do you ever get sick of being horribly wrong?

 

 

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What would you like me to advise you not to invest in? More than happy to see you plow in.

So here's my top ones,

1) Gold, yes, dont buy gold or other precious metals and especially gold mine shares, really, really bad news those gold mines.

2) Infratil? yes bad news this one bound to go toes up I reckon.

3) Meridian and Mighty, extremely bad buys I'd suggest.

4) Air New Zealand, its a dodo that one.

Housing, if you bothered to read what I say then you'd understand what I say, but you dont....so buy another property, no make that 4.

regards

 

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Just a suggestion, why don't we rebrand ourselves as "67% Pure New Zealand"? Problem solved!

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No.1 Maybe it was Supertramp retro night last night

We see what you mean Crsis What Crisis wise (2ofus):

Look at me I'm a speck of sand,
And I'm building ,dreams in a strangers land
Tell me why do I care
Tell me why do I care.

 

but shall we expect to see a similar sea change - a la Crime of the Century?

Hide in your shell cos the world is out to bleed you for a ride
What will you gain, making your life a little longer?
Heaven or Hell, was the journey cold that gave you eyes of steel?
Shelter behind, painting your mind and playing joker
Too frightening to listen to a stranger

 

some would suggest that too many seem to be self medicating already....

 

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But for all that, we have to put what has happened into a broader context and drop the panicked 'crisis' tone from the coverage. - Tell that to the mother's of the children likely to be affected.

 

The smart money has already decided this is not an economic crisis or a crisis for New Zealand's brand.  - Sociopaths are indifferent to anything other than the health of the P&L - those factors with negative impact are repressed - notice a recent Bloomberg interpretation of the unemployment #s.

 

The currency is now a full cent above where it was before the announcement by Fonterra it had found the strains of bacteria that might cause botulism. Not quite, it was trading at the thick end of  NZD/USD 0.8000 on 31 July - the day the elite were informed - FSF was trading at $7.49 the day before.

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Stephen Hulme: financial elites .. spot on ..

 

Interesting comment on social values .. here's my social commentary

On television (news outlets) we are getting anaesthetised by cheap reality shows that are lowest common denominator cheap to produce .. big brother .. the block .. cooking shows .. x-factor .. dancing with the stars .. have we got talent .. dumbing down

Here in oz we have been getting re-runs of Greenstone TV productions of Motorway Patrol and Highway Cops and Coast Watch and SCI Serious Crash Investigations sandwiched in between local productions of Highway Patrol and Border Patrol .. gotta tell you the kiwi productions are superior to the oz productions

When you see some poor bugger on the bare-bones of his arse sitting on 70 demerit points and driving a car with a bald tyre and an expired warrant of fitness copping a fine that will send him into penury for the next couple of years .. no compassion .. no national crisis .. but hey that guy is endangering the lives of other road users at risk .. and on it goes .. green sticker anyone? .. another $1,000 fine .. ka-ching .. no mercy shown .. gotta get rid of these stupid thoughtless people of the roads

No, there is no national crisis .. but there is a management crisis at Fonterra for sure .. they have, by their own hand, been involved in 3 serious incidents in the last 3 years .. not one head has rolled .. no fines .. no green stickers .. no demerit points

 

These captains of industry are ............ being protected by the apologistas?

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great comment above by icono

 

Fonterra may well be our equivalent of the Banking Crisis.

Lax or no regulation

No actual people to do the regulation- ie real people on the ground- this is a completely different thing than regulations.

So we have no MAF inspectors etc

Turns out that Plant managers are no longer as well- just supervisor level staff running whole plants- would love some confirmation of this or otherwise

Corrupted industry- what I have heard lately about long term historic corruption in the Dairy Industry made by hair curl

Co-opted Government- Industry too important to monitor, control

 

 

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No2. More of that 70's stuff we think...

Opening credits

MACHINE MALFUNCTION... JW PERMANENTLY
INVISIBLE... F CORPORATION WILL FINANCE
RECOVERY EFFORT... JWESTIN WILL RENDER
SERVICES AS SECRET AGENT.
HIS CODE NAME: KLAE RESOURCE.

– Computer-style text, shown in opening title sequence

 

The pilot depicts JWestin as a tragic figure, the "victim" of the invisibility process; despite his continued efforts, he essentially remains invisible all the time and must use technology to "fake" being visible.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invisible_Man_%281975_TV_series%29

never thought much of David McCallum, promised much...

 

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Branding:   As presented by marketing people who are mainly interested in selling themselves to you, and not much in selling you and your stuff to customers.

Background is New Zealand is a mickey mouse country.  With vast hubris.

Does anybody think that just saying 100% pure was going to fool all the people all the time?  Not a chance.  When the reality is that there are too many slack things and halfbaked operations here.

67% Pure New Zealand. ? Brilliant.  Could even have longevity.

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What about 67.3% Pure New Zealand. Gives it a more precise look (and is suitably tongue in cheek and understated).  "100% Pure" is just a stupid, overblown, American advertising, load of old cobblers, it makes me retch.

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Or then again how about "Quite Pure New Zealand". Nice bit of double meaning there. Oh no, I can't stop.

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"A Bit Pure New Zealand", anyone?

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"Slightly Pure New Zealand" ?

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" Not Very Dirty New Zealand" ?

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Or "Only Ever So Slightly Dirty New Zealand." Yes, I know it's BlackAdder revisited , sorry about that.

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"NZ - cleaner than China"

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" NZ : We won't poison your babies .... maybe not ... "

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Fonterra has just issued this statement:

Fonterra Co-operative Group today confirmed it has been issued with an administrative fine of approximately NZD 900,000 (RMB 4.47 million) following the conclusion of the China National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) review of pricing practices in the mainland of China for consumer dairy products.

“Fonterra has been co-operating fully and openly with the  NDRC throughout this process. We accept the NDRC’s findings and we believe the investigation leaves us with a much clearer understanding of expectations around implementing pricing policies which is useful as we progress our future business plans,” said Kelvin Wickham, President of Fonterra Greater China and India.

“We understand that a number of companies in the dairy industry were fined, with Fonterra’s fine being in the lowest range.”

As a consequence of the investigation Fonterra will provide additional training to its sales teams and will review distributor contracts to ensure clarity around how pricing policies are implemented through the distribution chain.

“We are committed to providing high quality, premium imported products to Chinese consumers and we are also committed to being an integral part of and long-term partner to the Chinese dairy industry. Therefore we are taking these steps to ensure we fully comply with the NDRC’s expectations of us,” Mr Wickham said.

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Separate issue, that was for the upset/bing before last...

Where we understand the retail price of the infant can was reduced by 9%...

So, GV, how about an off the envelope cost impact that includes reduced earnings (even for 12mths)....

Should make the $900k look more like the media allowance in scale......

Please look beyond the prepared script....

 

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#9. Maybe it's time to start questioning why it's so hard to live on a mcdonalds wage. Increasing minimum wages isn't the fix. Maybe it's time to start questioning ones beliefs & begin to understand what exactly wealth & prosperity really means. Maybe it's time to start protesting for maximum wages.

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by Learn to Social... | 07 Aug 13, 11:41am

Just a suggestion, why don't we rebrand ourselves as "67% Pure New Zealand"? Problem solved!

Wrong.  It's 51% pure, 49% for sale.

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Here's what Reuters is telling the world on this issue:

WELLINGTON/SYDNEY, Aug 6 (Reuters) - For a country that markets itself to the world with the slogan "100% Pure", New Zealand's environmental credentials are not as impeccable as many would think.

The majority of its rivers are too polluted to swim in. Its record on preservation of natural environments is among the worst in the world on a per capita basis. And it is the only OECD country that does not produce a regular national report on its environment.

The discovery by dairy giant Fonterra of a bacteria that can cause potentially fatal food poisoning in ingredients sold to eight countries exposes New Zealand's vulnerability to food safety scares and the fragility of the clean, green image underpinning its farming- and tourism-based economy.

Agricultural exports, including dairy, meat, fruit and wine, command high premiums internationally thanks to New Zealand's reputation as a producer of safe, natural and high-quality food.

"It was only a matter of time before our dirty little secret came out," said Jill Brinsdon, brand strategist at Radiation, a brand agency in Auckland.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/06/new-zealand-environment_n_3710…

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The majority of its rivers are too polluted to swim in. Its record on preservation of natural environments is among the worst in the world on a per capita basis. And it is the only OECD country that does not produce a regular national report on its environment.

 

Will the Minister of Tourism even notice and even if he is alerted to such tyranny, I guess he will casually dismiss such accounts as rubbish?

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GV: Jill's work doesn't seem to air the same concerns

http://www.radiation.co.nz/ 

 

Meanwhile being in cut and paste mode could you put up the comment that Lex Column ex FT UK has made....

"China is a land of opportunity - and a minefield of risks....."

thanks in advance....

 

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GV: Jill's work doesn't seem to air the same concerns
http://www.radiation.co.nz/ 

 

Cripes Henry, the link seems to have been disappeared as fast as a jury trial for the SCF accused. Read more

 

Justice Heath raised concerns about the complexity of the trial and the likelihood of the average juror understanding the issues.

 

There were 880 documents and exhibits in the trial.

 

The pool of jurors available in Timaru was a concern raised by the Crown, with 3486 investors of SCF recorded as having a Timaru address.

 

Another issue was the ability to get the witnesses to the court if the Timaru airport was closed due to fog and the cost of accommodation in both areas was discussed.

 

I thought the counting and accounting for money was understood by anyone with change in their pocket - maybe judicial direction is needed to determine the course of proceedings where jurors might not take it?

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well I never ....

Radiation www.radiation.co.nz/

Radiation helps businesses out of the brand wilderness via inspired brand and

 

Re SCF sounds like they are all off to Caroline Bay self medicating as suggested atop - surely not Ed...

- they could always just take oral evidence from those that passed $100ks + only find no corp record at all of the deposit just had......

How can records be fake/altered, when none exist...... Perfect.... With the lads now just saying nothing to prove.... No half measures there...

 

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whats the most risky - eating a can of Chinese peaches or a can of Fonterra milk powder ?

Clue - checkout their irrigation...

NZ 100% + GST Pure  ,  way cleaner than most countries

NZ getting lectured by a communist dictatorship about "needing to start building trust "is hilarious

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both are risky, and neither are sustainable.

 

but there is a groundswell of change:

 

http://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/267101/growing-concern

 

Just like Meridian looking worriedly at solar PV, Fonterra should be worried. Both will end up like Kodak and IBM - outflanked and obsolete. The business model just doesn't have a long window - nobody should be surprised.

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Cripes

 

Writing in the China Daily, columnist Huan Bai blamed the recent contamination scare on New Zealand’s “individualist philosophy” which “puts emphasis on personal freedoms ahead of efficiency,” and a laissez-faire economic system that allowed human beings to make choices for themselves, pursue their dreams and be content in their own fallibility without living in continual fear of execution if something goes wrong.

 

Bai said it was “deeply” troubling that Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings was “still alive.”

 

And we engage in commerce with this nation?

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jaw hits floor.............thunk.....

 

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One of the funniest things I've heard all day.

 

He might just be onto something. Must email him about the Act party, the Business RT, the PM. The fellows list is way too short......

 

:)

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Why Stephen, check it out,  your  "Cripes Writing in China" from 8,36 pm comment  is referring to  the New Zealand version of "The Onion".

 

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A tongue-in-cheek giggle - not to your liking or taste? 

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Huan Bai is onto something , it would perk up standards if NZ followed China's example and had business managers and leaders executed .... particularly so if they're actually guilty of something nefarious ...

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Sounds an accurate description, until he gets to the 'execution' bit.  Really, living in such a nation of loose cannons, we are brave to get on an aeroplane, or even a bus.

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"Writing in the China Daily, columnist Huan Bai blamed the recent ...."

I am wondering if this is a made up story. 

I did a google search for the articles author in chinadaily.com.cn and didn't get any hits

"Huan Bai" site:chinadaily.com.cn

To check that the search technique was valid I also did a search for the author(LYU CHANG) who wrote this article

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-08/08/content_16878705.htm 

"LYU CHANG" site:chinadaily.com.cn

and got 402 article hits.

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#8  demograhics are destiny.

 

Unless of course those clevver clogs manage a division of labour:  each parent allocated 1/9 of an embryo for a month, then a Grand Cut'n'Paste session......could just speed things up a leetle - a Triumph of Central Planning....

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Imagine wading through the discards on the shop floor.

 

Or recycling.....

 

 

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