Chinese Investors spending up big in NZ

[TheLiberalLeft]

And wouldn't it be great if everyone took the moral high ground when deciding whether to pay less $ for a Chinese slave-labour item or one that costs a lot that's sourced elsewhere or locally made?

But when push comes to shove and opening the wallet means spending one's own money, it's suddenly not so clear cut, sadly.

[speights boy]

Perhaps that would change if, when people declare they won't buy any more cheap Chinese rubbish that falls apart in 30 minutes, they are not accused of being xenophobic.

[donna]

It would see the end of many large format retailers....goodbye Warehouse, Briscoes, and so many more. Definitely not likely - we all have stuff made in China.....including your underwear!

cheers,

Donna

[TheLiberalLeft]

I don't wear underwear, so speak for yourself.

[speights boy]

Buying rubbish we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't like.

What possibly could go wrong with a lifestyle like that?

PS. I'm male.
Underwear lasts on average 17 years.

[Wayne]

Buying rubbish we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't like.

What possibly could go wrong with a lifestyle like that?

PS. I'm male.
Underwear lasts on average 17 years.

I have often wondered why people try to impress others they don't like - why do they care about their opinion?

[TheLiberalLeft]

Try defining "need" though in a western culture. It's impossible.

[TheLiberalLeft]

Donna - some of us wouldn't be seen dead in a Warehouse and certainly not a Briscoes. I hope you at least wear a disguise.

[Davo36]

I have often wondered why people try to impress others they don't like - why do they care about their opinion?

Because we still have monkey brains.

We still want security, freedom from pain, cold/hot or what have you. We also have a monkey hierarchy. So what other people think matters to us, whether we admit it or not.

I think you'll find that underneath our veneer of civilisation, we have very primal forces driving us.

[TheLiberalLeft]

Case in point: Keys and his self-portrait avatar.

[Perry]

And wouldn't it be great if everyone took the moral
high ground when deciding whether to pay less $ for
a Chinese slave-labour item or one that costs a lot
that's sourced elsewhere or locally made?

Indeed. Let NZ politicians lead and show us the way.

[Perry]

Dark Hypocrisy in Wellington (Not News!)

I read a book some years ago called Grass Soup. It was written by
a guy who had had 2 long stints in Chinese labour camps. He was
a journalist who said the wrong things.

These labour camps are basically just like concentration camps.
There are around 10 million people in them at any one time in China -
even today I think. People are routinely worked and starved to death.

And so yes, when we buy cheap Chinese goods, they may well be
made with a zero labour cost. Not just low wages, but actual
indentured labour. And this is the country we have a free trade
agreement with.

Try telling that to the WTO and other 'free' trade sycophants.
Even those resident in NZ. That the goods are produced with
such appalling disregard for between-country living standards
and employment ethics seems quite lost on such advocates.

I suspect that's because there is much personal gain for them
in exploiting such differences. It re-casts the nasty old axiom
buy cheap - sell dear into buy for nothing and sell cheap.

[mortgage broker]

We should be pleased that prices are stablising or heading south and we should not pleased that China is planning on spending big here. In the longer term all the returns on the money invested will just disappear offshore.
We keep celebrating how well the farmers are doing with their massive payouts, shame most of the pay out pays overseas interest debt.

Can you explain how a farmer is expected to compete on the world stage without capital. Its easy to say that we shouldn't borrow money but in reality would you milk your cows by hand and wait to save up for equipment while farmers in other countries sell cheaper milk to your potential clients?

[damage]

Of course they need capital. I never said they didn't.

[mortgage broker]

sorry damage, i was just venting and grouping your comments with a lot of other ideas around trying ti limit investment in this country. It is hard enough to support property values for productive sectors with out deflating it by scaring away investors. People should try and look at the facts, there is no flood of investors pouring money into the commercial or rural sector from abroad. There might be some isolated interest by investors but all the bad press is bound to detract their interest in the long term as any limitations on the re sale value or fall back position impacts on their choice of countries to invest in.

At the end of the day any kind of laws choking resale values also impacts the lending criteria in certain sectors, it is no surprise that currently banks are lending less to farmers.