All Episodes

March 21, 2021 12 mins
A former Finance Minister has offered his thoughts on how the country can bounce back from a GDP slump.
Figures released last week showed a one percent decline in the last quarter, contributing to a largest ever annual fall of 2.9 percent. 
Steven Joyce, who served as Minister for Finance under Bill English, told Kerre McIvor that as the financial support dries up, the true cost of lockdown will be revealed.
He says that keeping the borders closed has been a big factor in this decline. 
"For the first time ever, we've done this unintentional experiment where we've worked out what happens when we close [New Zealand]. And at the bare minimum, it's five percent of the collective New Zealand income for the year." 
Joyce says that reopening the borders and letting people in is not just about tourists, but letting key workers and international students in as well. 
"This suggestion we should be able to find all the people we need to do the work we want from internal sources is unrealistic."
LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

24/7 News: The Latest
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.