John Key keeps saying National will stimulate the economy and help New Zealand out of the recession. However all he keeps saying is fast broadband. There will no doubt be benefits for some of the business sector. But I suggest that the average man and women will see few if any real benefits from faster broadband. It should also be noted that with technologies ever rapid progress, major investments in broadband will not be a long term solution as at some stage the backbone will become dated and even perhaps redundant.
For most people the only benefit they will get is faster down loads for You Tube and videos and of course the down side will be a monthly bill from the ISP who is keen to make a return on the investments they have in the infrastructure.
The Labour party suggest bringing forward state assisted housing, insulating older homes and fast tracking transport infrastructure projects along with other ideas. Providing jobs and stimulating the economy. This is one of the most important elections there has ever been in our country. A new face and a change may not be the best long term solution for New Zealand. We need experience skill and the best possible people to help new Zealand work through the next three years and become the country that our children and grand children can call home.
Tax Payers Pay Twice
Key proposes to invest 40% of the National Super Fund (Cullen Fund) in NZ infrastructure sounds good till you think about it. If the money is invested in Public roads and other infrastructure such as broadband then who pays the interest on the investment? It seems all too obvious that the tax payer does. Is this a deceptive way of spending the National Super Fund while seeming to maintain what was a popular and necessary initiative of the Labour government? Even of the fund helps to provide public private partnership toll roads there is still a “pay twice” feel about the whole thing.
Consider the present situation where the money is invested overseas. The company that benefits from the investment pay the interest thus compounding the money that has been put into the National Super fund. There is already a proportion of the fund invested in New Zealand but to mandate 40% of the fund to be invested in NZ infrastructure would strongly suggest that the whole “idea” needs a lot more consideration and or needs to be scrapped.