First Impressions By Brendan Horan

New Zealand First is opposed to the sale of state assets.

The delay in the sale of Mighty River Power until next year does give time to place National under intense scrutiny. Simply put, the economic mechanics they spout do not stack up.

As it stands, State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall sets targets for the SOEs which inflict fiscal austerity while demanding big dividends.

Chief executives of these companies find ways to make them appear in better shape than they are – and potentially attract a higher sale price – by cutting wages and jobs. They even use the tired old line that goes something like ‘through these cuts we are increasing productivity'.

Last week we saw the bleak reality this sort of approach creates with 320 miners set to lose their jobs, and another 180 KiwiRail workers soon to follow.

Many of those sacked will struggle to find new jobs and will end up on the dole moving from tax payer to tax burden. Others will join the exodus to Australia where more than 50,000 New Zealanders head to every year.

Has National failed our country by not creating anywhere enough jobs?

Recent figures released by pollster Roy Morgan indicated a 228,000 New Zealanders – that's 9.1 per cent of the workforce – were unemployed in the June quarter. The official figure quoted by the Department of Labour is 6.8 per cent, a discrepancy of 66,000.

The Roy Morgan poll also suggests that a further 9.6 per cent of the workforce is under-employed. That makes a combined total 18.7 per cent of work ready New Zealanders that are either looking for a job or don't have enough work. That contrasts sharply with what the Government's propaganda would have us believe.