Christoph Schumacher

What do the numbers say?

The numbers suggest that economic growth is going to be very slow for the rest of the year.

Inflation won't help.

Unemployment won't help.

But there's also nothing in there that suggests we are ready for a disaster.

Now, New Zealand as a country is actually in surprisingly good shape.

Our debt level is way below what a lot of countries in the OECD

which has gone up to about 60% of our GDP, but that's low compared to countries like the US or the UK, which are well over 100, 120% of their GDP.

So New Zealand is in relatively good shape, and the government now believes we get back to positive numbers a year earlier than expected, right?

So we are still running a budget deficit, but it's getting smaller.

So that's a good sign.

Maybe we need to get used to the fact that waiting for that big improvement is not the right thing to do, but look at the things how they are right now and accept that this is how it's going to be because otherwise it's just getting a bit frustrating being told year after year, this year will be better, next year will be better, and then next year and so on.

So maybe it's more of accepting that this is

how it's going to go and how it will stay.

I understand the gloom, but it's a nice place to be in New Zealand.

So we might sometimes just forget that it is, given some of the issues we have.

And it's a small, isolated economy.

We are punching above our weight in quite a few areas.

So don't forget that as well.

Exactly the same things that you have said in many of your podcasts before too.