Interesting reading from creativeclass.org
A summary review follows...		 How this directly applies to NZ

Lately, the US political arena has been swamped with proclamations of doom by analysts and economists. These analysts line of reasoning states that the centre of the global economy is shifting away from the US and towards Asia and the EU.
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It is understood that China and India will grow exponentially in the coming decades becoming the most politically and economically potent regions in the world. America (the giant of the 20th century) will succumb to the new superpowers.
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Various factors threaten to eliminate completely America's 20th century role as the world's foremost competitor for global creative talent.

  • Tighter immigration and visa laws are driving away foreign talent from American universities and companies.
  • Better occupational and educational opportunities, and less politicized scientific climates, are helping other countries recruit the cream of the crop.
  • Greater tolerance of alternative lifestyles is luring some of the best and brightest from the U.S. as well.
  • All the while, the social fabric and creative infrastructure of the U.S. is fraying; the highly skilled and highly educated have the world at their fingertips, while the working, urban, and rural poor are left to languish in a broken system.

Compounding America's looming creativity crisis is the dynamic nature of creative class workers, who seek not only fulfilling jobs -- but also tolerant and vibrant communities and cities.

This new class of workers does not define itself by national boundaries, but is highly mobile, willing to relocate for the best social, cultural, and economic opportunities.
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A wake-up call to business, political, and cultural leaders alike, FLIGHT weaves these issues together in the sort of macro-level analysis that will truly affect the way its readers view the world around them. 		How does this apply to NZ?

  • NZ has effectively shafted its own creative class by upping the years of residency required for citizenship.
  • The change in residency is from 3 years to 5 years.
  • This may not sound like much, but for the 'Creative Class' in NZ -- it turns NZ into no more than a prison.
  • It is widely acknowledged that NZ must import via immigration most of its 'Creative Class'
  • There are no concessions in the residency requirement for Commonwealth Citizens -- especially from the core Commonwealth nations such as the UK, Canada,  etc...
  • The residency citizenship law change was substantial enough to demand that the matter be handled by a national referendum.
Other NZ democracy issues that play into this
  • Perhaps NZ needs to bring back its Senate, as the NZ Senate was abolished in 1951.
  • As NZ has a very new Supreme Court, it is perhaps wise to have a Senate that can keep the House from passing decisions that go against NZ constitutional law.
  • The creation of a national birth, death and citizenship registry is perhaps a timely idea.
On Kiwis abandoning NZ for Australia
  • More New Zealanders are leaving the country – mostly to Australia – and fewer are returning, according to a new Government report.
  • The Department of Labour's report on permanent and long-term migration issued yesterday showed the number moving to Australia has reached 615 a week, compared to 578 on average last year.
  • It said the trend over the last four months had resulted in the first drop in migration inflows since October 2005.
  • The National Party seized on the data in Parliament in debate over budget legislation, saying last week's Budget, which did not deliver income tax cuts, would see more people "vote with their feet". "It's a city the size of Gisborne being wiped off the New Zealand map in the space of one year," National spokesman for foreign affairs Murray McCully said.

The departure of New Zealanders to Australia hit a near two-decade high last year.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=20026&cid=8&cname=News

Figures out today from Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) put the net outflow of permanent and long term (PLT) migrants to Australia at 28,000 in 2007, compared with 20,700 the previous year. That was the highest net outflow to Australia for a December year since 1988, when it was 33,400, SNZ said.

The PLT flow to Australia was a big factor in a slowdown in the impact of migration on the New Zealand population last year. The overall 5500 net PLT gain for the year ended December was below the annual average of 11,800 recorded for the December years from 1990-2007, SNZ said.

But overall PLT arrivals were down just 200 on the December 2006 year to 82,600, while the 77,100 PLT departures were up 9000.

The main source of migrants last year was Britain, which provided 7100 people, although that was down from 10,900 the previous year.

For the December month, overall PLT departures exceeded arrivals by 100, compared with an excess of 1000 arrivals over departures in December 2006.

The change in the direction of the net flow was mainly due to 900 more New Zealand citizen departures, including 800 more to Australia, and 200 more non-New Zealand citizen departures, SNZ said.

Seasonally adjusted, December arrivals were the same as departures, the lowest seasonally adjusted net flow since May 2001.

Short-term visitor numbers were also looking shaky, with the 317,300 short-term overseas visitor arrivals to this country in December, 1800 or 1 percent down on December 2006. Seasonally adjusted, visitor arrivals decreased 1 percent between November and December.

Arrivals in the December quarter were also lower than a year earlier, down 9600 or 1 percent at 726,000. For the whole of 2007 visitor arrivals were up 44,100 or 2 percent to 2.47 million.

In December, while the number of visitors to this country was declining, the number of New Zealand residents leaving on short-term overseas trips was rising.

New Zealand residents departed on 199,700 short-term overseas trips last month, up 9200 or 5 percent on December 2006. Almost 40 percent of the increase was due to sea cruises to the Pacific Islands, SNZ said.

For the December quarter, resident departures were up 36,800 or 8 percent to 527,300, while for the year to December they increased 116,400 or 6 percent to 1.98m.

Last revised: 8 March 2008
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