Peter Carr
Not too many years ago the (then) New Zealand prime minister told his Australian counterpart at a CHOGM meeting in Melbourne that the westward drift across the Tasman of prospective Australian residents ‘would benefit the IQ of both countries’. The very tall Mr Fraser and the equally short Mr Muldoon then glared across the table at each other, with the latter stomping out of the meeting early to catch a plane home to Auckland. And since then, really honest political relations between the two countries have never reached the height to which both should attain. Plenty of platitudes but the big brother shadow falling onto the smaller country has never gone away.
Peter Carr
At that time the general drift towards ‘the lucky country’ was generally populated by people who could not – or did not want to – accept Kiwi working conditions and pay. They took jobs where mainly manual labour would have been acceptable – especially in the highly paid mining industries. Muldoon had worked out how that could be expressed by his crude IQ comment.
Much is being said in the media by the now increasing drift in the same direction, but this time by well educated professionals. I recall the statements of two couples – all friends of mine – who tried to start up afresh – both in Brisbane as it happens – and found the general demeanour of ‘Aussies’ most unwelcoming.
Now before my phone rings or there is a grumpy letter to the editor (quelle horreur) let me state clearly that everyone is totally free to move in either direction. What I cannot get clear in my mind is, with our health service on its knees, when a fully qualified NZ nurse left last week telling the media that she could not get a job on this side of the Tasman. My nursing daughter further south – who coordinates the practical activities for ten operating theatres – is besieged by emails almost daily asking if she is free to do an extra shift.
Likewise, how is it that it takes three weeks for me to obtain an appointment with my personal GP – when a major political party is offering voting sweeteners by way of three ‘free’ GP visits per year? This to further swamp the already severely over-worked medical centres and lengthen the waiting lists. True mathematical and social brilliance! And a similar promise this past week – another party this time – guaranteed a large number of extra beds in hospitals. May one be impertinent to ask who will be staffing these new or enlarged wards?
On requesting, two weeks ago, an appointment with a medical centre nurse – who at least can undertake a simple triage – I was told that I could not be helped and was advised to join the coughing and heaving evening queue at one of the costly after-hours facilities in Cambridge and Te Awamutu.
Have we reached such a miserable nadir that we might have to look after ourselves? All the political babble that emanates from the Beehive is plain hot air only good for filling balloons.
