‘Rock-star’ economy

In about 2015 some international commentator referred to the NZ economy as the ‘‘rock-star economy’’. The government of the day glowed in what they took as praise. However, I have started to wonder if the comment was actually ironic.

Seeing the list of essential workers that we must allow in, it appears that, like rock stars, we are not good at doing the things that you would expect of a primary industry-based economy. For example, despite being surrounded by thousands of kilometres of ocean, we can’t catch fish. Russians and Ukrainians can, though.

Nor, with 5 million dairy cows, do we know how to milk them. Filipinos are needed there. It goes on. We can’t drive trucks, nor can we drive tractors and other farm machinery. Simple horticulture tasks such as climbing a ladder to pick fruit, or prune trees, or bending down to pick berries, or even trimming grapes appear to be beyond us.

We do seem to be good at making wine and beer; street carnivals; singing; making films; and playing games. Like rock stars we also appear to be particularly adept at talking endlessly about our next big project, a remake of a 1960s blockbuster double album entitled ‘‘infrastructure’’, but seem to never progress it.

We are truly ‘‘rock stars’’. Which is just as well, as you don’t have to train to be a rock star – stardom just happens, doesn’t it?

Vince Dravitzki, Carterton